The Campout
by mulderblue13
Summary: Mulderette and Bluenet13 join forces to bring you a camping adventure: The NCIS boys are experts at fighting crime but how will they fare against nature and how will the ladies cope without them?
1. Chapter 1

_Hi, Mulderette here. I know I've been away for a long time and for those who were following my stories, I'm so so sorry. Life has definitely gotten in the way and I have a knee replacement coming up in three weeks which has occupied my mind. In any case, I wasn't really sure if I could ever get myself back into writing, but Jess and I kept talking about it - and she may have twisted my arm a little lol. I'm excited about this little project and working with such a talented co-writer. As for my other stories, I'm going to do the best I can to get back to them, number one priority being completing The Game. Thanks so much to those who were reading in the past and who may continue to do so. I appreciate you all and will do the best I can._

_Hi all, this is Jess, or rather bluenet13. I have joined forces with my good friend and awesome writer Mulderette to bring you all this new story. We have been talking about it for a while but we both took an unexpected hiatus for the last few months. Now we're back and the time is right to start this little adventure, so I hope you all decide to join us for this fun ride. And when I say fun, I mean for us and you all, probably not so much for our favorite team. Thanks for checking it out and hope you enjoy it!_

xxxxx

Sam Hanna sighed tiredly as he heard his younger teammate keep going on and on about the latest episode of Survivor. Conversation which had come after a one-sided argument about this week's American Next Top Model and the elimination of what Deeks thought was this season's strongest contestant. It was like hearing Kensi speak and to his surprise the ex-Seal found himself missing Deeks' talks about surfing and the newest food truck in town.

Eric and Nell sat on the other side of the table, nodding absentmindedly, and mentally going over the best ways to make a quick retreat. This had been going on for the last few months, ever since Kensi and Deeks had finally tied the knot. It had started with the detective getting a new habit of donuts for breakfast, then evolved into his constant talks about reality shows – shows usually associated with the female agent that had just recently become his wife, and which Deeks had used to despise as much as the rest of the team.

A quick sip of his beer stopped the blonde man momentarily, but he quickly set the bottle back down, and to the dismay of his teammates, continued on his tirade.

Sam groaned loudly, hands running up and down his face as he pondered the consequences of shooting his teammate on site. Nell and Eric stared at Sam, and then at each other, chuckling as they noticed the big man slowly losing control.

Callen's arrival a few minutes later provided a quick distraction to the torture currently going on at their table. "Here." He said, setting a recently filled glass of beer in front of each of his teammates. "Still going on?" He asked knowingly, a twinkle in his eye at his partner's displeasure.

"We have moved on to Dancing with the Stars. Apparently, this week they eliminated the best contestants in all of the shows." Sam answered. "And where were you, partner? I doubt grabbing a few beers really took you half an hour?" He challenged.

Callen just laughed and sat down at the solitary table the team currently occupied at the far-right corner of The Squid and the Dagger. Kensi the only one missing as she was currently in the back, helping Roberta arrange the latest shipment.

As the one-sided conversation continued to his left, Callen chuckled as a sudden thought entered his mind. "And here we thought we were gaining another Deeks, but apparently now we have two Blyes."

"Who would have thought we would miss his ramblings about slow tv." Sam added, taking a swig of his beer, and wishing it was instead the hard liquor that had just been delivered.

Remembering the previous week, when Kensi had gone undercover as an aspiring model, while the three men spent all night together on overwatch, Sam silently wondered how much more of this he could take. That time Deeks had taken advantage of the hours stuck in the car to talk their ears off, giving the poor boys a rundown on the current season of World of Dance.

"We need an intervention." Sam finally said, deciding that it was either that or really shooting his teammate to shut him up.

"Any ideas, partner?" Callen said. The spark in his eye still present, his enjoyment of Sam's annoyance apparently stronger than his own frustrations towards Deeks.

Thinking back to when he had gotten married, an idea began to form on his mind and Sam smiled honestly for the first time that night. A smile that to strangers might look more like an evil grin, but nonetheless, the uncharacteristic smirk spreading across his face.

"Sam?" Callen inquired, after noticing the change in his partner's demeanor.

"Before I got married, some of my Seal buddies took me on a camping trip up to the mountains. It was our own version of a bachelor's party. But we were so busy with cases this year, that we only took Deeks out for beers. Time to remedy that." Sam explained.

"What? You want to rekindle Deeks with his manhood?" Callen asked with a laugh. "You know the man hates the desert, woods, or any place, other than the beach, that could be considered outdoors. No way he would agree to this."

"He doesn't need to like it, but he's doing it." Sam said, taking charge of the situation. Or rather, the intervention. "We can even take Beale with us. Then we can have some boys' days out."

"Oh, no, no, no." Eric said, entering the conversation for the first time. Eyes going wide with panic. "Don't get me involved in this."

"It could be good for you." Nell added her two cents, running a hand sweetly down his arm. "And I can get together with Kensi and have a girl's night. We can even invite Ms. Deeks so she can take a break from the bar."

Deeks' laugh stopped the conversation in place. The man having caught up with his teammates after returning from the restroom. None of them having even noticed that he was gone. "Crazy Bertie would take over your party." He said matter-of-factly, silently remembering a time when Kensi had invited his mother on a night out with the cupcake girls, and how said night had ended with Bertie almost getting herself arrested because she had tried to take over the bartender and start mixing her own drinks. The thought making the blonde realize that this gig at the bar couldn't have come at a better time.

Taking in the busted faces of his teammates and the silence that now surrounded their table, Deeks lifted one eyebrow in a silent question. "What are we talking about?" He added, when no one spoke.

"We're going camping." Callen said cheerfully, not so much out of excitement for the idea itself, just wanting to see the look of horror that, as expected, came to Deeks' face. After all, he had already gone camping with his partner before, and even though it wasn't typically his thing, he could admit it had been fun. Especially when a young Aiden had joined them in the past.

"Camping? No, thank you very much. I don't do outdoors." Deeks said, starting to back away. "Unless you guys want to travel down to Mexico and chase some waves," he added as an afterthought.

"No waves, no city. Just the outdoors, and your teammates. Think of it as my late wedding gift, or bachelor party, whatever." Sam explained. "And I'm not asking." He concluded pointedly, not giving any outs to Deeks or the rest of the male members of their team.

"Just me, G, and super ex-Navy Seal Sam Hanna alone in the woods. What could possibly go wrong?" Deeks started to ramble, secretly wondering if anybody would find his body.

"Eric's going too." Nell chipped in, as if that news would suddenly make the whole idea sound more appealing to Deeks.

Deeks and Eric turned panicky stares at each other, both trying to come up with any excuse that would get them out of this predicament. But the determined faces of the senior agents telling them that, like it or not, they were all going on this little adventure.

xxxxx

"So… you're sure this is a good idea?" Callen asked as he packed some admittedly meager belongings into his backpack. He always packed as lightly as possible and in this case, he had no idea what kind of supposedly easy hiking expedition Sam was going to be leading them on. Lighter was definitely better.

"Come on, G, not you too?" Sam asked, his eyes amused as he gazed at his partner. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a little walk in the woods."

"That's what you're calling it?" Callen asked with a smirk as he zipped up his pack. "A walk in the woods? And no, I'm not afraid."

"We're going to have a great time, buddy," Sam said from his seat on Callen's bed. "Are you sure that's all you're going to take?" He watched as Callen lifted up the backpack and tested it, seemingly pleased with the weight of it.

"Don't need anything else. I figure you're going to have whatever necessary supplies we need, right?" Callen cast a questioning look at Sam. He refused to be burdened with an overly heavy backpack, especially when Sam was the strongest of any of them. Not to mention, this whole thing was his partner's idea.

"Oh I'll be prepared, G. No doubt about that," Sam said with a confident grin.

"I'm sure you will be." Callen nodded as he sat down on the bed next to Sam, "but seriously, are you sure this is what we ought to be doing? Deeks is one thing, but Eric?" He shook his head doubtfully. "I don't know."

"You wound me partner." Sam put his hand on his chest, covering up the mock injury. "When have I ever been wrong about this kind of thing? Anyway, this isn't a punishment for anyone. We're seriously going to have a really good time."

Callen nodded. He still had his doubts, but he managed to keep them hidden behind a smirk. "Okay, but you're responsible for any mishaps that may happen along the way."

Sam laughed as he stood up and clapped Callen on his back. "It's going to be a great trip, G. Just you wait and see."

xxxxx

"Camping? Oh, I wish I got to go camping." Kensi said cheerfully, bouncing up and down as soon as Deeks had told her Sam's idea.

"Feel free to take my place." Deeks mumbled, as he reluctantly began packing his duffel bag.

"Don't be a baby. It will be fun. And you know Sam will have it all under control." Kensi tried reassuring him, well knowing that he wasn't one to enjoy the outdoors.

Deeks didn't answer so Kensi just shrugged and continued to stare silently at her sulking husband. Every once in a while, chuckling as he seemed to ponder what items to bring. First it had been a flashlight, which he had the good measure to throw in the bag, then his flip flops which he promptly discarded to the side. Kensi however, decided to interfere as she saw him moving his gun towards the bag that sat open in their bed.

"You don't need that." She admonished, moving her hand to intercept his, getting hold of his LAPD issued weapon.

"Why not?" Deeks whined in a high-pitched voice. "What if there's bad guys and we need to defend ourselves?"

"There won't be bad guys in the woods, baby. Everything will be fine." Kensi tried to reason with him.

"What about a bear, then?" Deeks continued, sounding crazy.

"You wouldn't shoot a bear, Deeks." Kensi said, rolling her eyes.

"If it's the bear or me, I so would." Deeks said as he moved to the closet to grab a few more items.

Kensi sighed. Why Sam had thought this was a good idea was a mystery to her. But of course, she wouldn't say that to Deeks. She then moved to her side of the bed and towards a small cabinet that held some of her most treasured items.

"Here." Kensi said after a few minutes. She then handed Deeks a compass, a knife that had belonged to her father, and small radio. "These could come in handy."

"Thanks." Deeks replied as he exited the room and walked towards the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Einstein?" Kensi called behind him as she came from the room, sleeping bag in hand.

"Oops." Deeks laughed as he grabbed the offered item, tying it securely to his bag. Then moved to give Kensi a sweet parting kiss. "I will see you in a couple of days, Kens. Don't have too much fun without me."

"Love you, you have fun with the boys." Kensi said, even as she wondered if she should have put a tracker on him, or maybe allowed him to take his gun.

"Love you too, baby." Then Deeks was out of sight, door closing behind him as he walked to his truck.

Xxxxx

"What's wrong?" Nell asked, seeing Eric walked out of their bedroom, backpack in hand, and frown on his face. She had spent the last hour trying to cheer up her boyfriend to the idea of camping with the boys, but he had still been reluctant as he began gathering his things.

"I just wish Sam would have given us a little more heads up." Eric sighed and plopped down on the couch.

Nell was the one to frown next. Surprised that his complaint was about the timing and not the idea itself. "And why's that?" She eventually inquired, not sure if she really wanted to know.

"I was just searching online and there's a lot of cool gadgets I could have gotten for the trip, but not even with Amazon Now would I get them on time." Eric explained dejectedly.

"Cool gadgets?" Nell asked. "You don't need gadgets for camping, Eric."

Eric then grabbed his tablet and proceeded to show her an article he had found detailing exactly that. "There's even glow in the dark toilet paper and powdered beer." He finished before going back to the couch.

Nell tried to stifle her laugh, not wanting to hurt his feelings. Part of her also certain that if Deeks were here, he would be all over that article. "And why would you need those things?" She asked, not seriously enough, and choosing not to ask why he would prefer powdered beer, whatever that was, instead of the _TrailKeg_ or _ManCan Portable Beer Keg _also mentioned in the article.

"You just don't get it." Eric mumbled unhappily as he lifted himself from the couch and walked towards the room where they stored their tools, coming out a few minutes later with a hatchet in hand.

"Eric!" Nell said loudly. "Give me that."

"You're no fun." Eric said pouting.

"Why would you want a hatchet?" Nell asked more seriously this time. "You don't need that unless you're thinking of building your own cabin or fighting off some The Walking Dead zombies." But even as she said it, she thought that a hatchet could actually come in handy, but she preferred if Sam were the one to take it, she didn't trust Eric with long blades.

Eric opened his mouth to explain his reasoning, but then close it again, thinking that no amount of retort would help change his girlfriend's mind. His thoughts instead on the 82-functions Swiss Army pocket knife that he saw on the article and for which he wanted the hatchet as a quick replacement.

"Take this instead." Nell said as she handed him a perfectly safe hunting knife. "And this." She ran back to the room and came back with a first-aid kit, flare gun, and waterproof matches. When she had sobered off from the alcohol after their conversation at the bar the other day, she had thought of all the things that could in fact go wrong in the woods, and she had run to their local outdoors store to get some supplies.

Eric's face blanched as soon as he noticed the items Nell was handing to him. His mind going back to thinking this was a terrible idea, and very far away from the excitement his google search had caused. "And why would I need these?" He asked in a shaky voice.

"Just in case, Eric. I'm sure everything will be perfectly fine, but just in case." Nell punctuated her statement with a quick kiss. "Now go on, Deeks just pulled into the driveway." She said, pushing her boyfriend towards the door.

"Be safe." She called as Eric closed the door behind him. The analyst trying to convince herself that there was no reason to worry and everything would be alright. The four men were perfectly capable of fighting bad guys on a daily basis, and the woods couldn't possibly pose a bigger threat.

xxxxx

Callen and Sam walked into Hetty's sitting room where she was sitting on her sofa, sipping from a cup of tea. "Good morning, gentlemen." She smiled up at them as she placed her cup on the coffee table. "I appreciate you coming here before leaving on your adventure. Would either of you like some tea?"

"No thanks, Hetty," Sam said quickly. "Deeks and Eric will be here shortly and the earlier we hit the road, the better."

"Why is it you wanted to speak to us?" Callen asked, knowing she hadn't asked them to come just for goodbye pleasantries.

"I was hoping you might reconsider this trip," Hetty said after a short pause.

"Why is that?" Sam asked. "Did Deeks call you?"

"Mr. Deeks did not call me," Hetty stated. "I just think if this is really a bachelor type celebration for him, shouldn't you be taking him somewhere he'd actually enjoy?"

"Trust me, Hetty, Deeks will enjoy this," Sam said assuredly. Secretly also thinking that this trip was as much for him as it was for them, but he had the good measure not to voice that thought out loud.

Hetty looked at Callen who was noticeably silent on the subject. "And what is your opinion of this, Mr. Callen? When you were a boy, you never asked to go on any kind of a camping trip."

Callen shrugged. "None of my friends were ever into that kind of thing. Besides, you know Sam and I have gone camping before. Nothing has ever gone wrong and we've had a good time." Although he wasn't one hundred percent sure that this was the best idea, he still felt compelled to defend his best friend.

Hetty shook her head, realizing they weren't going to be swayed but still not happy with their choice. Although she couldn't put a finger on it, she was very uneasy about this whole idea. She looked up as Eric and Deeks came into the room.

"Good morning, Hetty," Deeks said with forced cheeriness and Eric echoed him. It was very obvious to Hetty that neither of them was particularly thrilled with Sam's plan.

"Good morning," Hetty replied, then came right to the point. "You know, this is supposed to be your celebration, Mr. Deeks. If you are unsatisfied with the choice, you should speak up."

"What?" Deeks looked quickly at Callen and Sam then back at Hetty. "I… uh, it's fine, Hetty. Why would you even say that?" As much as he wasn't looking forward to this trip, he wasn't going to chicken out in front of Callen and Sam. He'd never hear the end of it.

"Are you quite sure?" Hetty persisted. "There's no shame in the four of you sharing a different activity, a beach vacation or perhaps you could take my new yacht? I could easily arrange to have someone take you wherever you wanted to go."

Deeks' and Eric's eyes brightened at the prospect and even Callen appeared interested, but Sam immediately shut the idea down. "We're going camping," he stated firmly. "We appreciate the offer of your yacht, Hetty. "But I have a boat as well and I'd be happy to take the team on a trip sometime soon. "You could come and I'm sure Kensi and Nell would like that, as well"

"Kensi likes camping," Deeks mumbled, already missing her.

Sam rolled his eyes. At this rate the trip would be over before it began. He was sure Deeks and Eric would have a good time. He'd make sure of it. "Let's get this show on the road, guys" he called in an uncharacteristically cheerful tone.

Goodbyes were then shared and the men headed out with Hetty looking on uneasily as the door closed behind them.

xxxxx

_Thanks everyone for reading! We will do our best to update this story every Friday or Saturday, and _hope you decide to join us in this ride.


	2. Chapter 2

Apologies for posting this chapter twice. We had a bit of technical difficulty but caught it and fixed it. In any case, we really appreciate the support we got for chapter one and thank you all for your comments. We hope you continue to enjoy the story :)

xxxxx

The four men went outside and Callen and Sam proceeded to put their camping gear into the back of Deeks' truck. When they had finished, Deeks headed to the driver's side of the truck and Callen opened the door to the back seat, sitting behind him. Eric was already seated in the front passenger seat. Sam walked over to where Eric was sitting and knocked on the window.

"Can I help you?" Eric asked, rolling down the window about an inch as he looked at Sam warily.

"I call shotgun," Sam stated.

"Well… I'm already sitting here," Eric said. "Anyway, I figured you'd want to sit with your partner."

"Uh uh." Sam shook his head. "I'm a lot bigger than you and G. I'm sitting in the front. You, my friend, are sitting in the back."

Eric stubbornly turned his head away, deliberately avoiding Sam's gaze.

"Are you kidding me?" Sam asked, a hint of menace in his voice. "I think you may want to reconsider."

Eric stared back at Sam, trying to decide if it was worth it to continue this particular battle. In the end, he chose self preservation over the choice front seat. "Fine," he said, opening the door and getting out of the truck. "Just so you know, you owe me one."

"Yeah, right," Sam said, rolling his eyes. He brushed past Eric and got into the truck next to Deeks while Eric proceeded to get into the back seat.

"Big guy doesn't like the back seat," Callen said under his breath to Eric.

"I'm not deaf, G," Sam said.

"Didn't say you were," Callen said with a smirk. "Just stating a fact."

Deeks sighed wearily. Sam was awfully grumpy for a trip that had been his idea in the first place. Maybe he hadn't eaten breakfast. "Are we ready?"

"Yeah, let's go," Sam replied. "We have a long ride ahead of us."

"Yippee," Deeks muttered and with that, he started up the engine and they were finally on their way.

xxxxx

Hetty sat on her sofa, watching as the boys headed out of her home – towards a camping adventure where she wouldn't be able to protect them if anything went wrong. A sinking feeling sat in the pit of her stomach as she fought the urge to run after her team and force them to suspend the trip. Not for the first time, Hetty wished she had put a tracker on one of them, just to make sure they kept themselves out of trouble, she told herself.

Thinking back to the tracker idea, Hetty smiled mischievously, remembering that she had a tracker of her own, or at least someone able to keep an eye on them. Picking up the phone, an idea began to form on her mind, and she quickly dialed.

"Miss. Jones. No, everything is okay." She began to say to the person on the other end of the line. "I just wanted to invite you and Miss Blye to my home while the boys are away. My new house has quite the view, and I'm sure you will both love it." She continued to explain. "I have called off any cases coming our way and requested a week off for our staff. After all, there's not much we can do with two agents, and our detective and tech operator missing, and it's been a while since any of you have had a vacation," Hetty finished, leaving no room for argument, just directing everyone around her like she was used to doing.

A quick answer followed and Hetty's smile continued to spread as she gave Nell her new address. "I will see you this afternoon, then we can take it from there. You girls earned some fun too." She finished, as usual, pleased with her idea. She did believe the girls more than deserved a break, but the prospect of having them in one place in case anything did go wrong with the other part of the team was equally appealing. Nell's ability to keep an eye out on the boys, which she was sure her analyst would have still done with or without her requesting it, was the only thing that would keep her at peace for the next few days.

Taking a sip from her cup, Hetty then called Kensi and the conversation proceeded in a similar way. The agent's instinctual response also being one of worry and asking what was wrong. _Does she always call to deliver bad news?_ Hetty thought grimly. She would have to do something to change that.

After finishing her tea, Hetty proceeded to make preparations for the arrival of Kensi and Nell, her worry only having dissipated a little after her idea. Hetty went into the kitchen and instructed her cook to prepare a nice meal for later that day. Then tomorrow, they could call Ms. Deeks and hit a bar and maybe enjoy some karaoke. She would just have to make sure there was no mechanical bull around.

xxxxx

"Uhhh, I need a restroom break," Eric piped up from the back seat. They'd been peacefully driving for almost three hours but he definitely needed to get out of the car.

"Yeah, I definitely could stretch my legs," Deeks said. He was tired and more than a little bit hungry, as well. "Maybe we could stop somewhere for lunch?" He shot Sam a hopeful look.

"Yeah, okay," Sam replied agreeably. "You up for that, G?"

"He's asleep," Eric stated, keeping his voice low. "I thought he didn't sleep?"

"He sleeps when we travel," Sam answered. "Cars, planes...maybe the motion soothes him. I don't know."

"Kind of like rocking a baby?" Deeks asked, grinning at Sam.

"Something like that." Sam chuckled, seemingly in a much better mood than he'd been in at the beginning of the trip.

"He'd probably get a lot of rest on a boat trip then...Something to think about." Deeks still wished that was what they were doing. He got that Sam was into this whole male bonding thing, but they could have bonded just as well on a boat or in a comfortable hotel somewhere. Camping was never going to be up at the top of things he liked to do in life. Of course, if he and Kensi had kids and they wanted to experience the great outdoors, he'd be up for that. Camping out with Kensi and a couple of kids would be an entirely different experience, one that he was sure he'd enjoy. He had no idea what kind of experiences Sam might believe to be fun that would be the opposite of what he considered enjoyable.

"We'll do that, Deeks," Sam said. "I promise, we'll do a team trip out on the deep blue sea really soon. We can use my boat, and Hetty also offered hers."

"So, where should we eat?" Eric interrupted impatiently. He didn't particularly care about future trips at the moment. He only cared about the current trip and the fact that he really needed a bathroom.

There's a really good diner about 15 to 20 minutes away," Sam answered. "I'd planned for us to stop there anyway. You guys are in for a treat. The food there is out of this world."

"Sounds good to me," Deeks said. It definitely sounded better than anything he'd been expecting. Not to mention, it would probably be the best meal they'd have on this trip. Sam's idea of a good time was probably eating squirrel brains over an open fire. He knew those were considered a delicacy in parts of Kentucky but he didn't think it was his cup of tea. As a Navy seal, he imagined that Sam had survived on many of Mother Nature's offerings which wouldn't really appeal to him. He decided he'd better eat really well at the diner so he wouldn't starve over the next few days.

.

xxxxx

"Hey G, wake up!" Sam bellowed, a lot louder than necessary.

"What the hell, Sam?" Callen grumbled as he opened his eyes. "What are you screaming about?"

"Lunch time, sleeping beauty." Sam grinned at his partner. "Or we can just leave you here, if you'd rather."

"Ha, ha," Callen replied, still a bit grumpy from being abruptly awoken from a sound sleep.

Deeks pulled the truck into a parking spot and the four men headed into the diner. "Table for four?" an attractive, middle-aged waitress, whose name tag read Suzanne, asked when they entered.

"Can you tell me where the restroom is?" Eric asked, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"In the back to the left, darling," Suzanne answered with a chuckle. Eric scurried off in the direction of the bathrooms and she led the remaining three men to a table. "I'll be with you gentlemen shortly." She handed them menus and went off to help some other customers.

"You finally awake, partner?" Sam smiled over at Callen who was seated next to Deeks.

Callen ignored Sam as he picked up a menu and focused his attention on it. "This menu is huge," he said, impressed. "You name it, they have it."

"Do they have pad tai?" Deeks asked with an impish grin.

Callen chose to ignore Deeks, as well, as the three men turned their attention solely to their menus. A few minutes later, Eric returned, looking much more at ease. "What have they got here?" he asked, sitting down next to Sam. "I'm starved."

"There's plenty to choose from," Sam replied. I'm sure you'll be able to find something you like."

"How do you know this place anyhow?" Deeks asked, giving Sam a curious look.

"Michelle and I came out here a long time ago...before the kids were born..." Sam's eyes took on a faraway look as he thought back to a happier time when his wife had still been with him. "We had a great time. We'd always planned to go back here with the kids someday…" He trailed off then shrugged. "Anyhow...that never happened."

The other three men remained silent, unsure of what to say. Suddenly the trip somehow seemed more important than it had previously.

"Do you fellas know what you want?" Suzanne asked with a smile as she returned to the table and placed a glass of water in front of each of them. Callen decided on a hot turkey sandwich. Sam got a chicken Caesar salad and Eric ordered the meatloaf special. After hemming and hawing, Deeks finally chose the Italian trio, a combo which included lasagna, chicken parm and toasted ravioli.

"That's one of our most popular dishes," Suzanne said, batting her eyelashes and smiling suggestively at Deeks. "It has just the right amount of spiciness. The men especially seem to like it."

"Uh… that's nice," Deeks said, feeling the heat go to his cheeks as Sam and Eric smirked at him from across the table.

"Would you like some hot buttered rolls while you wait, darling?" she asked, her attention fully on Deeks. "They're so good they just melt in your mouth."

"You guys want any?" Deeks asked, trying to deflect Suzanne's focus away from him.

"I think we're good," Sam said, trying not to laugh.

"Okay, well let me know if you change your mind." With one more long look at Deeks, Suzanne strutted off towards the kitchen as Callen, Sam and Eric started laughing.

"Real funny, guys," Deeks said.

"I actually wanted some of those hot, buttered rolls," Callen said, "but I don't think Suzanne would have cared."

"No, she wanted to hand deliver those rolls to Deeks," Eric chimed in.

"Man, what happened to the flirtatious Marty Deeks?" Sam asked. "Kensi would be proud. Marriage has really changed you."

"It hasn't," Deeks protested. "I just...it just… " He shook his head then abruptly changed the subject. "So, how long before we get where we're going?"

"We'll be there before dark," Sam stated, deciding to cut Deeks a break. "We'll set up a temporary campsite for the night and then hike to where we're going tomorrow."

"Wouldn't it make more sense to just stay in a motel tonight?" Callen asked. It seemed counterproductive to have to set up the campsite twice. Not to mention, the air had definitely changed and he wasn't a fan of late afternoon hiking in the cold. He was glad he'd brought a warm jacket.

Sam considered what Callen said then finally nodded. "Yeah, okay. We can do that. We'll leave early tomorrow."

"Woot!" Eric said, his cheeks reddening when the other men looked at him. "I mean, that's good news, I mean, one more night in a soft bed…I...uh..." He quickly changed the subject. "So, anyway...when you say hike...how difficult a hike are you talking?"

Sam smiled soothingly. "Don't worry, Eric. It's nothing you can't handle. We're not going to be climbing up into the mountains or anything like that."

Eric nodded but he didn't seem particularly calmed by Sam's words.

"Just how far are we talking, Sam?" Callen asked. He'd been okay with this idea when Sam had first brought it up, especially with the surprise at the end for the two younger men, but now Eric's concerns were starting to rub off on him and he was beginning to worry as well.

Sam looked at his partner speculatively. He'd thought he had been onboard with this idea. "Come on, G. It's going to be fine. I promise."

"Okay." Callen nodded. He trusted his partner with his life and knew Sam wasn't going to lead them into any kind of dangerous situation. Like Sam said, everything would be fine.

xxxxx

"Would you ladies like any more beef wellington?" Hetty asked. "I know there is more in the kitchen."

"I really couldn't eat another bite, Hetty," Kensi huffed out.

"Me either," Nell added with a shake of her head.

"Well, that's too bad," Hetty said. "There are some delicious-looking chocolate mousse parfaits in the refrigerator."

Kensi and Nell shared a smile. "Maybe after we give our stomachs a rest," Kensi said, eyes sparkling as she imagined the sweet treat.

"Very well. Let's go relax in the sitting room for a bit and then you can see about dessert a little later."

The three women walked to the sitting room and made themselves comfortable. "So, Miss Blye…" Hetty looked at Kensi expectantly. "How are you enjoying married life?"

Kensi smiled happily. "I love it. Every day with Deeks is an adventure. You never know exactly what you're going to get."

Hetty nodded approvingly. "I can well imagine. Mr. Deeks is certainly never boring."

"No, he's certainly not."

"And things are going well with Mr. Beale?" Hetty asked, turning her attention to Nell.

Nell smiled as her cheeks turned pink. "Things are going very nicely between me and Eric."

"I'm happy to hear that, Ms. Jones." Hetty said sincerely, secretly proud that she had sort of played matchmaker with both of these couples.

There was a brief silence before Nell gazed at Hetty. "I have a question…"

"Well, ask away dear. I can't answer it if you don't ask."

"I was wondering, what was Callen like as a boy?" Nell eventually asked, as she stared at a picture of a young Hetty and Callen that sat on the living room table.

Hetty smiled fondly. "When I first took him in, he was suspicious of everything. He certainly didn't trust me at all, but over time, he warmed to me and the rest, as they say, is history."

Nell and Kensi both nodded, both silently hoping for more stories about young Callen.

The women chatted some more and a half hour later, the cook entered the room with the three chocolate parfaits. "Oh those look so good!" Kensi exclaimed.

"I don't think I've ever tasted anything so delicious." Nell added after taking her first bite.

The women enjoyed the desserts and Hetty smiled to herself in satisfaction. The evening had definitely been a success and no worries had been voiced about the men, which she was pleased about. Perhaps all her worries were just the paranoia of an old woman and she was totally overreacting to Mr Hanna's plan, which she hoped to be the case.

xxxxx

It had been about three hours since the boys had left the city of angels, and Sam kept noticing Deeks glancing out of the window every few minutes. His demeanor stranger than usual, if that was even possible. "What's going on Deeks? Are we being followed, and you haven't said anything?" Sam asked eventually, uncharacteristically trying to make a joke.

"No… it's just that. Where exactly are we going, Sam?" Deeks answered with another question.

"Camping. You already know that." Sam said, ignoring the real inquiry.

"I mean, _where?_" Deeks was beginning to get frustrated. "I keep seeing signs for this place Death Valley. And it doesn't sound like the happiest place on earth." He added half-jokingly.

"It's a National Park." Sam said, rolling his eyes. "Anyhow, we're not going there. You are supposed to take a left onto the 395, Death Valley is to the right. And it's a desert, Deeks, we're going… more to the forest."

"Hmm… I've heard they do raves in that place and people get drugged and butchered, and lone survivors end up wandering onto the road with their injured girlfriends." Deeks rambled, earning frustrated groans from his teammates.

"I think you've been driving for too long, man. You're starting to sound worse than usual." Callen added from the backseat, remembering times when Deeks had just joined the team and he used to get on rambles about sitting being the silent killer and mercury in retrograde. "If you want to pull into the next gas station, we can switch so you can rest."

"I'm fine, Callen." Deeks grunted, secretly feeling better just as he took the 395 and the signs pointing to Death Valley National Park became less frequent.

"We're less than two hours away." Sam said reassuringly, not wanting any tension to start building so early into the trip. "There's a few campgrounds in that area and various peaks we can choose to hike."

"Great." Deeks muttered, not sounding particularly excited.

"We will have fun, Deeks. I promise." Sam said, still trying to make his teammates as excited as he was about this trip. "We're not gonna find a five-star hotel to stay tonight, but there's a few inns on the main road and I'm sure we can find one that we all like. There's restaurants too, so we can have dinner when we get there."

Everyone nodded after that, Deeks and Eric managing a half-smile, not out of hope that this trip would turn out to be something fun for them, but also not wanting to discourage Sam when he evidently was trying very hard to make this a good experience for all of them.

xxxxx

"Are we there yet?" Eric whined like a little boy after another hour had passed. "I need to go again."

"We're 20 minutes away, and there's not much on the way so you're gonna have to hold it in." Sam said as calmly as possible. "Or we can always park on the shoulder of the road and you can go in some bushes, just make sure to stay away from the poisonous ivy." He then chuckled at the way Eric's face quickly blanched.

"He's just messing with you, man. We've come this way and we have never had any trouble with that." Callen added, sending a dark look Sam's way. They didn't need to freak out Eric anymore, or he was sure to rat them out to Nell when they go back, and they would have to answer to her.

"No, thank you. I'm okay. I don't need to go so badly." Eric said softly, regretting at that moment the last soda he had drank when they last stopped for food.

Deeks just laughed at the antics of his teammates and kept driving until Sam told him to stop at a place that couldn't really be called a small town. _Lone Pine, California, _being just a main street that ran on the same 395 they had been on for the last few hours, with smaller streets going left and right. The place did in fact had some inns to offer so that part at least had been a relief.

"Let's pick a place first and drop our gear, then we can go have dinner." Sam pointed out as Deeks parked on a church's parking lot as he waited for directions.

"There's no signal." Eric grumbled, as he took his iPhone out but promptly threw it back onto the seat a few minutes later.

"We don't need signal, Eric. Just pick a place and let's go ask if they have availability." Sam said with a tone that sounded more frustrated by the second.

"But I wanted to check reviews." Eric said shyly, earning himself a laugh from Callen.

Sam ran his palm up and down his face, why had he thought this was a good idea. "Eric…" He began softly, as if speaking to his kids. "We don't need reviews. That's how we used to do it in the good, old days. Just a map, and the open road." He explained.

Eric just frowned and stayed quiet.

"What about that one?" Callen asked, pointing to a place called the _Dow Villa Motel_. "It says it has a hot tub," he added, trying to make the typical highway motel look more appealing.

"That would be great if Kensi was here." Deeks spoke out loud without thinking.

"Yeah…" Eric said softly, his mind going to Nell.

Sam just rolled his eyes and nodded. The motel seemed to be a good a place as any.

As Deeks drove to their destination, he silently took notice of the small town. It had a lot of churches, possibly even more than commercial establishments, a high school, a small market that he mentally saved for future reference, and some other places that they wouldn't care about. He also saw signs for a general hospital, a very small airport, and a funeral home. All places he sincerely hoped they wouldn't need to visit.

The next couple of hours went by quick, with the boys renting two rooms, before they got their bags out of the car, then proceeded to have dinner, upon Sam's insistence at seemingly the most expensive restaurant in town. But the steaks had been great and the ample beer selection even better, so the team had managed to relax and enjoy some lighthearted conversation before Callen and Sam retreated to their room, while Deeks and Eric moved to the other. With the first part of their trip completed, and it being too late to back down now, each team member went to bed nervously awaiting the next morning when the real fun was sure to begin.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi, Mulderette here. Thanks so much to those who are reading and commenting on this story. We truly appreciate all of you who are doing so, especially during this busy holiday season. Just a note, I will be having knee replacement surgery on Monday. I'm hoping that we still will have a chapter up next weekend, but in case I'm not feeling up to writing, I just wanted to put that out there. Thanks for your understanding._

_Hi all, this is Jess. Thanks so much for accompanying us on this journey. It's been a joy for us to write and it makes me happy that you're all enjoying it and hope you continue to do so. We will try very hard to have a chapter up next week. My brother is also coming home tomorrow to visit for the holidays but I'm hoping I still get time to write in between family things. Again, thank you so much for the support, even with the craziness of the holiday season, we really appreciate it._

xxxxx

Morning came sooner than Eric had wanted and he groaned when he read _6:00 am_ on the simple clock that stood on the nightstand. Not wanting to wake up Deeks, he got out of bed as silently as he could and tiptoed to the bathroom, careful not to hit any furniture or walls as he avoided turning on the lights.

Coming back into the room a few minutes later, sunlight had already began filtering through the thin curtains that covered the room's only window. Eric then rolled his eyes, noticing that Deeks wasn't even in his bed so all his efforts had been for nothing.

Discarding his lounge pants to the side, Eric changed into shorts and a t-shirt and walked out of the room towards the hotel's lobby, or rather its main area, the space too bare to be called a real lobby. Reaching a small lounge area with dining tables and chairs that surrounded the breakfast space, Eric saw Deeks sitting alone at a faraway table. Eyes closed and hair more unruly than usual.

"Tough night?" He asked, setting up a cup of coffee he had just picked up on the table in front of Deeks.

Deeks sighed happily. "Thank you, I woke up even earlier than the lady that gets the breakfast started." He said, ignoring Eric's question.

"I get it. I missed Nell too." Eric nodded and sat down on a chair in front of Deeks.

"I… I didn't say that." Deeks began but seeing Eric disbelieving look, quickly stopped.

Eric put up a hand to stop whatever ramble was coming. "I'm not the boys, you don't have to fake with me. I get you in more ways than one. I'd also rather be in a boat right now." Eric explained simply before moving into more serious topics. "And I also sleep better when Nell is with me." His mind silently remembering the months he had spent in San Francisco and how hard it had been for him to get used to sleeping alone again.

Deeks sighed and smiled. Eric did seem to get him and that made him feel better about being here. Or at least, not as alone. "It's just that… since we moved in together we haven't really spent too many nights apart. And even when one of us ended up at the hospital, the other was there, either on the uncomfortable couch or sharing the bed." A dark shadow crossed Deeks mind as he thought back to all the near misses the last few years but his features eventually settled on a comfortable smile as he thought back to Kensi and the peace that brought him.

Eric nodded again. Not completely used to his teammate opening up to him in this way.

The next few minutes were spent with each man silently drinking his coffee until Eric decided to get up. "I think it's time to take a shower and get this show on the road. I'm sure Sam and Callen will show up soon, and all ready to go." Eric said uncharacteristically cheerful.

Deeks raised his eyebrows as he sipped the last of his coffee and moved to follow Eric. "I don't remember you being this excited about this trip." He said as both men walked towards their room. "Had an epiphany last night?"

"No… It's just that." Eric trailed off. But Deeks trusting, friendly stare prompted him to open up just as his teammate had just done. "It's just that last night I couldn't sleep…" Eric began as he stretched his back, trying to alleviate his sore neck, courtesy of the uncomfortable bed and flat pillow. "So I got to thinking about when I was in high school and my classmates would plan camping trips and things like that. And I was never invited because… well who would have wanted to hang out with a nerd. So now, Sam actually wants to do this and openly invited me, so why resist it? It could be fun." Eric finished shyly.

Now it was time for Deeks to nod. His mind going back to memories of his younger self begging his father to take him camping. The man always having found an excuse not to.

Just before Deeks had a chance to respond, his phone chirped and he turned on the screen to see a text from Sam. "Boys want to meet us in half hour for breakfast before we head out towards the campsite, let's get ready and get this adventure started." Deeks said, sounding more excited than before. Eric's change of mind having rubbed off on him.

xxxxx

After dinner the previous night and thanks to Hetty's exquisite and probably very expensive scotch, both Kensi and Nell had been feeling more than a little bit tipsy. So both analyst and agent had decided to spend the night there. The amount of spaces and guest rooms in the house, making it feel more like a night at the Ritz than a sleepover at their boss's house.

"Oh." Nell grunted, a hand going to her head, the other to the wall to steady herself. She had just woken up and had almost fallen down as soon as she had stepped out of the bed.

Kensi just chuckled, knowing that Hetty's choice of hard liquor was probably too much for her wine-drinking friend. Nonetheless feeling a slight headache herself, but grateful that she had a bigger resistance than Nell.

"Remind me to never again try to keep up with Hetty." Nell said with a tint of amusement in her words, before she moved on to the restroom, door closing behind her.

Kensi snorted again, having learned that lesson a long time ago. She then moved to her go-bag to grab a bottle of ibuprofen before going back to sit at the edge of the bed. A sigh escaping her lips as she thought of Deeks and wondered what the boys were up to. She knew it was silly to miss him so much after a single night apart, but other than his recent LAPD assignment they had spent every night together since they'd gotten married.

Nell coming out of the restroom, drew Kensi's mind back to the present. "Feeling better?" She asked, tossing Nell the bottle of ibuprofen and instantly noticing how her face had softened after her shower.

Nell nodded and gulped down two pills. Knowing the hot shower had helped but that if she wanted to feel normal again, she needed more than that. "Thank you." She added as the smell of bacon began to reach them.

Both Kensi and Nell then sighed in content, remembering how great dinner had been last night and thinking that breakfast could only get better.

"I will be quick." Kensi said knowingly as she moved to the restroom to take a 5-minute shower. All the while fighting the urge to send Deeks a text. He was okay and having fun with the boys, and she deserved to do the same with Nell.

xxxxx

"What are you doing in there?!" Sam bellowed after pounding on the bathroom door. "If you stay in the shower any longer, there won't be any more water for anyone else in the motel!"

A few minutes later, a freshly showered and dressed Callen emerged from the bathroom. "What's your problem?"

"You NEVER take showers that long," Sam said to his partner as he lightly bounced up and down on the bed impatiently.

"Usually we're on a case and I don't have time to take a long shower," Callen explained. "Besides, this is the last shower I'm going to have in who knows how long. I wanted to enjoy it."

"And wrinkle up your skin like a prune?" Sam asked with a grin. "It's not like there won't be water, G. There will be lots of fresh water on the trail."

Callen stared at Sam like he was crazy. "No way in hell am I jumping into one of those ponds or lakes, Sam. Do you know how cold they'll be? I am not an L Street Brownie."

"A what?" Sam asked with a blank look on his face.

"The L Street Brownies. It's a polar bear club in Boston. They swim year round and every year on New Year's Day, they take a plunge into the bay, no matter how cold it is. Crazy if you ask me."

"Oh yeah I've heard of them." Sam looked at Callen in amusement. "I don't think it's as cold here as it is in Boston on New Year's Day, G. Aren't you overreacting a bit?"

Callen picked up his jacket and put it on. "I don't think I'm overreacting at all. It's colder than usual. Maybe you haven't noticed because you're a little bit bulkier than the rest of us."

"Muscular," Sam stated. "And I'm a lot more muscular than the rest of you."

Callen shrugged. "It doesn't matter, Sam. I'm not jumping into a lake and catching pneumonia."

"Those so called lake jumpers think it's good for the immune system to jump into ice cold water."

Callen gave Sam an incredulous look. "Well, I know for a fact it would not be good for my immune system. You can jump into lakes all you want. I will not be joining you."

"Whatever you say, buddy," Sam said, grinning at Callen. "Come on. Let's meet Eric and Deeks to get some breakfast, then we can be on our way."

xxxxx

The restaurant attached to the motel was surprisingly nice. It was a clean and bright colored establishment with a country atmosphere. It wasn't too crowded and they were led by the hostess to a corner table by a window.

"Did you guys sleep well?" Callen asked as he opened the menu on the table in front of him.

"Not too bad," Deeks answered sharing a conspiratorial glance with Eric. "How about you?"

"I slept well," Callen replied.

"He also showered well," Sam said, smirking. "I thought he was never coming out."

Callen rolled his eyes. "Really? Still on that?"

"Well, we won't have much of a chance to take a shower after today," Deeks said.

Callen's expression brightened. "Yes! Exactly what I said. Father Nature here doesn't get that. He wants to swim with the polar bears."

"Father Nature," Eric repeated, chuckling.

"Hello. My name is Lucas. Would you dudes like coffee?" A young man with his dark hair pulled back into a bun, came up to their table with a coffee pot in his hand.

The men nodded with a chorus of yeses and Lucas poured the coffee, then proceeded to recite the specials. His eyes then traveled to Deeks and his gaze settled on him. "I really love your hair. Do you have to go to a lot of trouble to get that tousled, care-free look or is it all natural?"

"It's natural," Deeks said, suddenly uncomfortable as he put his left hand on the table with his wedding ring obviously visible.

"I envy you," Lucas said. "I have to tie my hair back because I just can't do a thing with it. It has no body at all. It's too bad you couldn't give me some hair care tips."

"No, no…" Deeks shook his head. "No tips. All natural. Sorry dude."

"No worries. So, our chef just pulled a fresh batch of cinnamon buns out of the oven. Would you like one to start?"

"Nope. No thanks." Deeks really wished the guy would stop staring at him. Couldn't he have a peaceful meal in a restaurant on this trip?

"I would like a cinnamon bun," Callen stated.

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked Deeks, ignoring Callen. "They are really good. I don't think you'll be sorry."

"Fine, sure," Deeks gave in. "We would all like cinnamon buns, okay?"

"I'll bring them right by," Lucas said, grinning at Deeks. "You won't be sorry."

"You already said that," Deeks said as Lucas turned away to go get the cinnamon buns. He then turned to the boys who were all smirking at him unabashedly. "Don't even start."

"I think he has conditional deafness," Callen stated. "He could only hear you speak."

Sam chuckled. "He sure didn't hear your request for a cinnamon bun, G. I think Deeks' voice must be music to his ears."

"And Deeks' hair," Callen continued the good-natured ribbing. "I think he'd love to run his fingers through it."

"Maybe that's because none of you have any hair to admire." Deeks tried calling back but was ignored by all.

Even Eric couldn't resist contributing. "I think some people are going to be a little bit jealous."

"Are you kidding me?" Deeks asked. "Kensi would think it was as funny as you jokers seem to think it is. She certainly wouldn't be jealous."

"I don't think he was just talking about Kensi," Sam said. "Don't you remember your wedding day?"

Deeks rolled his eyes. "Don't even go there."

"I've never seen such a jealous man." Sam shook his head with mock sadness. "You broke poor Kirkin's heart."

"Enough. You guys have had your fun." Deeks said. "Twice." He added darkly.

"But what is it with the hot buttered rolls and cinnamon buns?" Callen asked, smirking. "It seems wherever we go to eat, it's kind of a theme. The wait staff wants to ply you with buns."

"Ply?" Deeks asked. "Who talks like that?"

"Here we are, hot cinnamon buns, straight from the oven." Lucas placed the plate of buns in the middle of the table. "Let me know how you like them...um what's your name?"

Deeks stared at the plate silently, but Sam answered the question with a smile. "His name is Martin. And Marty's a little shy sometimes."

"Marty! Oh I love that name. It fits you perfectly!" Lucas gushed exuberantly.

"Yes, my wife, Kensi thinks so too," Deeks stated. "As a matter of fact, I forgot to check in with her. I think I'm going to go and call her right now. Be back in a jiff!" With that, he got up from the table and headed outside, suddenly missing Kensi more than he thought possible.

xxxxx

Brushing his hair backwards nervously, Deeks debated whether he should really call Kensi. Originally, he had just meant it as an excuse to get away from the inquisitive stares of his teammates but he really missed her and wanted to at least briefly talk to her over the phone.

So, taking out his cellphone he dialed the number from memory and waited.

"Deeks. Are you okay? Did something happen?" Kensi blurted out from the other end.

"Kens…" Deeks breathed out. A smile on his face just by the sound of her voice. "No, no, everything is fine. We spent the night at an inn and will head into the campground today and set up there. Just wanted to check in before I lose signal." He heard Kensi sigh, and chuckled lightly at her concern.

"That's good to hear, baby. Hope you're enjoying yourself. Thanks for calling." Shuffling was heard on the other end, and then a door being opened and closed. "Sorry, was just having breakfast with Nell and Hetty. We came here for dinner and ended up a bit… tipsy, so we spent the night."

Deeks laughed openly now, the image of Hetty drinking Nell and Kensi under the table never failing to amuse him. "Glad you're also having some fun of your own." Deeks said honestly, ignoring the subject of breakfast as he had no desire to explain what had just happened at his.

Kensi and Deeks then shared some small talk and whispered sweet nothings only for each other to hear. Both of them smiling more in these 5 minutes than in the last 24 hours.

"Well, I should go or the boys will start getting restless." Deeks said eventually, sad to be ending the call but not wanting for his teammates to come looking for him.

"Okay." Kensi agreed. "I miss you." She added after a few seconds of silence. "Make sure Sam doesn't get you guys into any trouble."

Remembering the airport, hospital and morgue he had seen in the town, a dark shadow crossed Deeks' eyes at the comment but he still managed a faint smile. "Don't worry, Fern. I will be back."

"I know, I just hope I don't have to go rescue your asses." Kensi snorted. "But you know I will, if need be." She promised.

"I know, Kens. Thank you. But everything will be fine and I will see you soon." Deeks said, hoping his words wouldn't be proven wrong. "I love you."

"Love you too, Marty. I will see you soon." Deeks shuddered at the name and the recent memories of Sam and the overly enthusiastic waiter. Still, he smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

He then sent a long-distance kiss to Kensi before the call was ended, finding himself in silence once again. Sighing, he blew out a long breath before walking back into the breakfast room, desperately wishing that his teammates were too distracted with their food to continue teasing him.

xxxxx

"Is everything alright, Miss Blye?" Hetty asked when Kensi returned after her phone call. She was trying to appear nonchalant, but she still had a bit of uneasiness deep inside regarding this trip. She had yet to put a finger on exactly why she felt this way, but she hadn't been able to shake it. She supposed she would just have to live with it until the boys returned safely home.

Kensi nodded, smiling. "Yes, everything is fine."

"Deeks just misses you, doesn't he?" Nell asked, inwardly a little bit jealous and sad that Deeks had called Kensi, but she hadn't heard from Eric.

"He just wanted to talk to me before they lose their phone signal," Kensi explained. She had to admit, she was very glad he had called.

"It's clear the two of you are still in your honeymoon phase," Hetty said, noting the blissful expression on Kensi's face. It was obvious to all how happy she and Mr. Deeks were and, secretly, she felt very proud to have been a part of that. They were clearly a match made in heaven and she truly hoped that life was good to the young couple.

xxxxx

His three companions appeared solemn when Deeks walked back to the table and took a seat. "Hey man, are you okay?" Sam asked, appearing somewhat guilty. "We were only teasing."

"Yeah, sorry if we went too far," Callen added. "We didn't mean to."

"I'm fine. I just wanted to talk to Kens before our phones lose signal."

"How is she doing?" Sam asked.

"She's good. She had a girls night out with Hetty and Nell or I guess it was more of a girls night in because they stayed at Hetty's overnight after having dinner."

"I bet that was fun," Callen said, with a fond smile, knowing how much Hetty enjoyed a night of fine dining and good company.

Deeks nodded. "It sounds like they definitely had a good time."

"We ordered breakfast for you, the breakfast sampler. It has a little bit of everything," Eric said. "But, the waiter said he can change it for you if that's not what you want."

"I'm sure that will be good," Deeks said with a smile. Secretly, he was a little bit pleased that they were feeling bad over the teasing, but there was no harm done and he didn't want to put a damper on the morning. He was determined to have a good time on this trip.

Lucas was much more subdued when he brought the breakfast to the table. "Let me know if I can get you anything else," he said before scurrying away without a second glance at Deeks.

Deeks watched Lucas' fast exit and looked over at Sam and Callen. "So, what's up with that?" he asked. "Did you threaten that poor guy with bodily harm?"

Sam laughed. "Nothing like that. He actually looked embarrassed when you said you had a wife. I guess he had tunnel vision and really didn't register that you were wearing a wedding ring."

"You're sure that's all it was?" Deeks asked, looking to Eric for confirmation.

"They didn't threaten him," Eric said, putting Deeks at ease.

"Well, he also seemed pretty disappointed that you were spoken for," Callen added, but Deeks ignored him and started in on his meal.

The rest of the breakfast passed without incident. The food was exceptionally good, the conversation pleasant and the boys left Lucas a more than generous tip before heading out of the restaurant to begin their adventure.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi all, Bluenet13 (Jess) here, on a pre-Christmas miracle we somehow managed to get this chapter done lol. We had a lot of fun writing it, and we hope you all enjoy reading it. Many thanks to everyone for the support for this story and the kind messages to the last chapter. Mulderette's surgery went well and she sends her thanks for all the positive thoughts. We will try to update again next weekend, but just in case we're not able to, know that we will be back in January. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year. _

xxxxx

After breakfast, Kensi and Nell had tried to help Hetty clean out the kitchen, but she'd insisted it would be taken care of. Then their boss had ushered them outside, insisting they should take advantage of the time off to relax and get over their hangover before round two. Shrugging, both women had then walked outside towards the yard, finding some lounge chairs that were perfectly located under the mid-morning sun.

Closing her eyes, Kensi enjoyed the feeling of the sun on her face. The sensation reminding her of early weekend mornings when she sat on the sand watching her husband on the waves. A long-suffering sigh, however, drew her thoughts back to the present, and she opened her eyes to a pouting Nell. Phone dangling from her hand as she stared at the screen sadly.

"Are you okay?" Kensi asked, shifting so she could look directly at Nell.

"Yeah." Nell said not convincingly enough.

"Then why are you moping like a sad puppy." Kensi challenged, having a pretty good idea of what was wrong with her friend, just wanting her to voice it on her own.

"It's just…" Nell trailed off, her eyes on her phone, as if willing it to ring at that exact moment. "I wish Eric had called me." She opened up eventually.

Kensi smiled knowingly, patting her friend on the back. "Have you tried calling him?" She asked, already knowing the answer to that question.

Nell shook her head and sighed again, throwing the phone on the chair.

"You should call him." Kensi prompted, grabbing the phone and pushing it into her friend's hand.

"What if he doesn't want to talk?" Nell wondered out loud. "Deeks call you, but Eric didn't."

"Just call him, Nell." Kensi insisted. "We don't know the circumstances of either of the call or no-call."

"And it's better to never assume things, my dear." Hetty added, making both Nell and Kensi jump, as she had seemingly materialized out of nowhere. "So, go on, call Eric. Then you girls should go get ready. I want to get us a good table near the stage."

Hetty was then gone as randomly as she had shown up. Kensi and Nell both looking dumbstruck, as they stared at the space their boss had just occupied, before both women burst out laughing. Nell eventually sobering and sharing a look with Kensi before she got up from her chair, phone already by her ear.

As Nell stood at a solitary corner of the yard, waiting for her call to be picked up, she noticed Kensi still sitting in her chair. Her eyes now on her own phone, a longing, comfortable smile on her face. Nell then was the one to smirk knowingly, remembering that Kensi's screensaver was a picture of her wedding day. Sighing for a final time, she dialed again, secretly hoping to one day have with Eric what Kensi and Deeks had now.

xxxxx

Eric sighed for the third time and continued shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Okay, I'll bite." Deeks muttered, seemingly to himself, but his sight was on the rearview mirror and directed at Eric. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong? What do you mean? Nothing's wrong." Eric mumbled, having felt his teammate's gaze on him.

"You keep sighing like a sad puppy and you're practically bouncing on your seat." Deeks explained, eyes on the road now.

Eric stayed silent for a moment, debating how honest he wanted to be. If it was only Deeks it would be easier, but he didn't feel as confident with the senior agents. "My phone's signal went off before I could text Nell." He eventually said sadly, before sighing yet again.

Deeks smiled knowingly, understanding how Eric felt. Also, secretly thankful he had placed that call to Kensi before leaving the hotel. "I would offer to go back but if the GPS signal is any indication, it would mean going back at least 20 miles."

"And no way we're doing that." Callen added from the back seat. He knew it would take them some time to reach their campsite and he also had a pretty good idea of what his partner considered an easy hike. So, the quicker they arrived, the better, for all of them. Even if Eric didn't realize it now.

"We're only about five minutes away." Sam said, joining the conversation for the first time as he directed Deeks towards their exit. "Eric, I'm sure Nell will understand." He added as an afterthought, smiling to himself as he remembered when his and Michelle's relationship had been in that phase of new love, as it was now for Eric and Nell.

Eric just pouted and sat back down on his seat. Quietly continuing to stare at his screen from the corner of his eye, hoping a miraculous bar would appear, signaling enough connection for his text to go through.

"Park in one of those spots." Sam said, pointing to a lot close to the trail.

Deeks just nodded, noticing the little screen near his steering wheel signaled a big drop in temperature compared to the last time he checked. But thinking nothing of it, he assumed it was just the higher elevation and continued following Sam's directions.

No one said anything after that. All four teammates silently getting out of the car and moving to the back to get their stuff.

"There's cabins?" Eric breathed out, pointing to a sign next to the trail, a hopeful look on his eyes.

"We're not staying on the cabins." Sam said, even as he nodded. "We came here to go camping and that means sleeping on the woods."

"Yes, Father Nature." Eric grunted under his breath, making Deeks and Callen chuckle at the new nickname that G had created for his partner.

Sam just rolled his eyes and took a threatening step towards Eric, who just yelped and ran back to the truck, muttering something about having forgotten a bag.

"Don't scare him out." Callen admonished his partner. "Remember you have the upper hand here, but we will still need his brains when we're back on the field working cases."

Deeks chuckled, enjoying the team's banter, and thinking that maybe this trip would end up being a success. Even, as he thought back to Eric's comment and mentally filed the information, along with the knowledge of the places that he had seen at the town.

xxxxx

It didn't take the boys long to gather all their supplies together and soon enough they finally started on their hike. Callen and Sam taking the lead with Deeks and Eric directly behind them.

"It's pretty cold, isn't it?" Callen asked eventually, as they walked along.

"It's not that cold, G," Sam muttered, choosing to keep his attention on the trail. "I didn't think you were that fragile."

"I'm not," Callen stated, setting his jaw and deciding not to address the issue any further, especially not to Sam.

Sam just rolled his eyes, but still made a mental note to check the temperature on his compass whenever his teammates weren't looking.

xxxxx

"Callen's right. It is cold," Eric whispered to Deeks, as they walked farther back from the senior partners.

"You want to tell Sam that?" Deeks asked. "If he won't listen to Callen, he's definitely not going to listen to us."

Deeks, himself, couldn't help his daydreaming about being out on the water in Sam's boat, with Kensi in her bikini. That would have been his idea of a perfect little vacation. However, guilt immediately set in upon letting his thoughts travel in that direction.

Maybe the ex-Seal just needed this. For a long time now, Sam had only taken family trips or the occasional weekend escapades with his wife except when the team was on the job. But then all that had been taken from him, with his wife passing and his kids moving away. He and Kensi still felt badly about Michelle's untimely demise and they both had their own sense of responsibility regarding what had happened. _If only_, it was one of those simple phrases that held a hell of a lot more meaning than what the words by themselves meant.

xxxxx

Roberta had been ecstatic when Kensi had called to invite her to Karaoke night with Hetty and Nell. She'd then frowned wondering how her daughter-in-law had gotten her son to agree to that particular outing. Her explanation coming soon enough as Kensi had explained that Deeks was away for the weekend. Roberta had visible raised her eyebrows at that. Not particularly surprised that Deeks hadn't called to inform him of the trip himself, Roberta already used to her son volunteering little information on his own. But she'd been more than a little surprised when Kensi told her he was out camping with the rest of their team, both women knowing that their boy wasn't one for the outdoors, especially when they involved the woods and not a beach.

That's how Roberta now found herself getting dressed in front of the mirror. A few outfits already discarded over her bed as she continued looking for the perfect look. Once that was done, the mother grabbed her brush and began mock singing, following along to the song that currently played on her iPhone. Her joking promptly turned into her own private concert as Roberta started warming up her vocals in preparation for the show that would come later that day.

xxxxx

"I'm hungry." Eric said, after they'd been hiking for about an hour. His feet also hurt, but he didn't dare to voice that particular thought, knowing the teasing that would take place.

"We can go another hour before stopping." Sam stated, having already felt the cold Callen had mentioned before, and wanting to reach their destination soon so they could set up. But he preferred to stay quiet about that and just guide his teammates towards shelter without actually worrying them. He had checked the forecast before leaving LA, so there was no reason for that.

Deeks said nothing and Callen glanced behind him to Eric who appeared miserable. "I could use something to eat myself." Callen agreed. "Let's just take a short break."

Sam sighed, but nodded as the men put their equipment down and took a seat on the ground. He then searched through his pack and pulled out four protein bars, passing them out to his companions. "These are great for protein and energy," he said as he opened his own bar and took a bite. "Also, really tasty."

Callen took a bite of his bar and almost choked. He quickly swallowed down some water from his canteen. "What the heck, Sam. What are these things made of, sandpaper?"

"These are five-star rated on Amazon, G. They most certainly are not made of sandpaper." Sam said, swallowing hard and trying not to make a face that would support Callen's complaint.

"Whatever happened to roasting hot dogs on the open fire." Deeks asked, privately agreeing with Callen's assessment of the supposed treat.

That's not happening on this trip, Sam stated. "We'll be catching our own prey."

"What?" Eric squealed, looking horrified at the prospect. Callen and Deeks didn't look all too thrilled either.

"Really, Sam?" Callen challenged dubiously. "We never did that before. All we did was fish and I know for a fact that we didn't bring any fishing equipment."

"First time for everything, G." Sam said with a smile. "Come on guys. We've got a few more hours to go and then we can set up camp."

xxxxx

"Can we play a game?" Eric asked shyly, his tone hopeful at the same time. Wanting to add some fun to their hike and needing to forget about the prospect of catching their own food. Secretly also wondering if he could survive the next few days off wild berries alone.

"We're not kids, Beale." Callen said amused, the innocence his teammate somehow still carried, never failing to surprise him.

"It's just to pass the time." Eric muttered dejectedly, continuing his walk in silence.

Deeks winced in sympathy but failed to open his mouth. He always enjoyed a good ramble, but he had a big enough sense of self-preservation to know when it was better to stay silent.

"I can think of one object that I'm seeing, and you guys can guess what it is. Who wants to go first?" Eric proposed cheerfully after a few minutes.

"Eric, we're not 10." Sam stated, without sparing a glance back.

"What about Never Have I Ever?" Eric offered next.

"We're not in college either." Deeks joined in. Secretly thinking back to his high school and undergrad days. "And we've no alcohol." He added under his breath. Wishing he was at the bar, or that he had brought some hard liquor to get him out of his misery.

For what felt like the millionth time on this trip, Eric pouted as he fell farther behind and focused instead on the views around him.

"See, this is what camping is all about." Sam began when they reached a particularly nice overlook. "We don't need games to pass the time, the hike, the views, nature, all that should be our entertainment. We don't need a distraction from that." He tried to explain, moving his hands around and pointing towards a tall oak.

Eric's first instinct was to roll his eyes, but as he stared at the view, he couldn't ignore the beauty of it. "I'm glad you're enjoying it, Sam." He said honestly. "And it really is a nice view. Very peaceful."

"You don't get moments like this on the city, too many lights, too many noises." Sam continued, his words on the present, but his mind evidently elsewhere.

"Can we take a picture?" Deeks asked tentatively, grabbing his phone from his pocket.

"You don't need to ask that, Deeks. You can take all the pictures you want." Sam answered in confusion.

"I didn't mean of the view. I meant, one of us together." Deeks said shyly. "It's in fact a very nice view and even better when enjoyed with friends."

Sam's eyes softened at that, realizing that maybe he had been a bit harsh with his teammates. Seeing that they were trying their best to enjoy this trip, and that he wasn't really making it easy for them.

"Get over here." Sam called to Eric and Callen, as they all got closer to Deeks.

Stretching his arm, Deeks smirked towards the camera as he took the selfie, realizing that all his teammates were smiling honestly for the first time on this trip.

"Funny face." Eric screamed happily, sticking his tongue out. Deeks was the first to follow, then Callen and more reluctantly also Sam.

"Kensi and Nell will love these." Deeks said proudly after checking them out, showing the pictures to his teammates.

"I wish we had signal to send them now." Eric said sadly.

Sam clapped the younger man on the shoulder and grinned sympathetically. "They will get to see them soon enough, man. We will just have to make sure to take more pictures to show them."

Seeing Eric nod with a comfortable smile was all the proof Sam needed to know this could still be a great trip.

"Eric, I'm thinking of an object now. Want to take the first guess?" Sam asked eventually, after the team had resumed their walk.

"Hmm, is it something found in nature?" Eric beamed as his eyes said a silent thank you to Sam.

With Callen and Deeks joining in the game, the next couple of hours were spent in between absurd questions, crazy imagined objects and a lot of team banter. With all four men sincerely enjoying the trip and the time spent together, with no bad guys shooting at them or worlds that needed saving.

xxxxx

A few hours later, just when the men began giving up hope that this hike would ever end, Sam stopped, a wide grin on his face. "Here we are." he stated proudly.

"A cabin?" Callen said.

"Oh sweet!" Eric suddenly felt about a thousand times better as all his miseries seemed to slip away. "Really?"

"It's not much." Sam said. "But there's a fireplace inside, a cookstove and a bedroom with three cots. I'm good with sleeping on the floor." He knew from past experience that he did not do well with cots. He much preferred the floor where he could stretch out to his heart's content. "We'll go inside after dinner. I'm sure you three are starving. I know I am. A dinner by the campfire is the perfect way to end the day."

"Uh...don't we have to catch prey?" Callen asked his partner tentatively.

Sam gave G a friendly slap on the back. "Come on, I was just messing with you guys. I have food."

"You have food?" Deeks asked, hopeful, but still dubious, as he studied Sam's pack and belongings. Although he carried more than the others, it didn't appear as if he had that much in the way of sustenance.

"Oh ye of little faith." Sam said as he placed his things on the ground and began rummaging through his pack once again. "Ta da!"

The other three men looked at the two packets which Sam produced, both labeled lasagna and each supposedly containing two servings.

"Are they good?" Eric asked, already immensely relieved that he wasn't going to have to kill and skin cute little animals on this trip. The thought of it had seriously made his stomach queasy.

"They're very good." Sam assured him. "I mean, not restaurant quality good, but they will suit our needs perfectly and I got a lot of variety, even some desserts."

"They couldn't have been cheap." Deeks commented knowingly. Since opening the bar, he had come to realize a whole lot about food and packaging and the costs of items. The packets Sam held in his hands had definitely not been cheap. "We can contribute to the food fund, Sam."

Sam shook his head, smiling. "No worries, Deeks. I've got this trip. I know it might not seem like it, but I really want you guys to have a good time. And you already contribute enough every time we meet at the bar."

"How come we never brought these?" Callen asked.

"Because, our trips served a different purpose, G. I just wanted to get you out into the great outdoors, teach you to enjoy fishing, bond with Aiden, stuff like that. Not to mention, this kind of food has improved drastically over the years."

Callen nodded. There was no doubt that he had enjoyed the time spent with Sam alone or with Sam and Aiden. Being out in the wilderness had never been something he'd had the opportunity to experience as a child. He'd appreciated Sam including him in such trips.

"Okay guys, I'm going to get a quick fire going, add some boiling water to these babies and you'll be in for a treat."

xxxxx

"_Well you're a real tough cookie with a long history_

_Of breaking little hearts like the one in me_

_Before I put another notch in my lipstick case_

_You better make sure you put me in my place_

_Hit me with your best shot_

_C'mon, hit me with your best shot_

_Hit me with your best shot_

_Fire away"_

Bertie was up on stage, dancing wildly and belting out the lyrics to Pat Benatar's song "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." Nell was giggling as she sipped her drink, Kensi was laughing to the point of snorting and Hetty looked amazed.

"Deeks' mother is quite the wild woman," Hetty observed.

"She sure is, Hetty," Kensi said, trying to get herself under control. "She'd have to be to have Deeks as a son. I just wish Deeks was here to see her." She knew he'd be horrified. It would be hysterical.

Nell nodded with a small sigh. "At least Deeks called you. Even if he isn't here." She was unable to keep her sadness hidden. She had expected Eric to call and by the time she had finally gotten past her own pride and called him, it had been too late. He'd been out of range and she hadn't been able to reach him.

"I'm sure Eric meant to call you," Kensi put her arm around Nell's small frame and pulled her in for a hug. "The time must have gotten away from him. I know he'll get in touch with you as soon as he can. You know that boy is crazy about you."

Before Nell could respond, Bertie came up to the table. "Well, how was I, girls?" She smiled in delight when Hetty, Kensi and Nell applauded enthusiastically. "I was good, wasn't I?" Bertie sat down next to Hetty and took a swig of the beer in front of her. "So, what did I miss?"

"Nothing," Nell said quickly.

"Nell is just feeling a little bit down because Eric didn't call her from the road." Kensi explained.

"No need for that," Bertie said. "The number of times I've seen the two of you in the bar, it's plain as the cute little nose on your face, he is over the moon for you."

"Yeah?" Nell asked, with a small smile.

"Oh Miss Jones, there is no question how Eric feels about you," Hetty said, entering the conversation. "It's been obvious to me for a very long time. You have no need to worry."

"Really?" Nell asked hopefully.

"Most certainly," Hetty responded, "You shouldn't give it another thought. But now, I'm up next and you are about to hear a rendition of "Natural Woman," that you won't soon forget."

Kensi, Nell and Bertie clapped in appreciation as Hetty got up from her seat and made her way to the stage. They knew they would be in for quite a treat.

xxxxx

"Sam, my man, you do not lie. This has been one fine dinner." Deeks was lazily holding his marshmallow on a stick as he toasted it over the crackling flames of the campfire Sam had built. The dinner packets had been good, but the marshmallows, Hershey bars and graham crackers Sam had surprised them with, had topped off the meal perfectly.

"Who doesn't love, Smores," Eric stated as he sandwiched his freshly toasted marshmallow along with a piece of chocolate between two graham crackers. "Oh my God, so good," he exclaimed after he took a bite of the oozing chocolate treat.

Callen licked his lips in anticipation of tasting his own treat. "Thanks for doing all this, Sam. We're having a great time."

Sam nodded, a quiet smile on his face. This was the way he'd wanted the trip to go. His friends were relaxing now, knowing he wasn't leading them into some kind of crazy death hike. He had to admit, he'd enjoyed messing with them a little bit, but now all was well. They were going to have a great time.

xxxxx

Eager to take a turn on stage, Kensi and Nell made their way over to where the Karaoke books listing the songs were.

"This has been a really fun night," Bertie said. "I appreciate you inviting me."

"Of course we'd invite you," Hetty said, smiling. "I'm very glad you could come. I know Kensi loves you like family."

Bertie's eyes traveled to Kensi with a faint smile on her lips. "Kensi is a treasure. I can't imagine Martin ever having found anyone more well suited for him. He loves her so much, as do I. He deserved to find a love like that. I'm so glad I was able to see it." Her eyes began to fill with tears which she quickly blinked back. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No need to be sorry," Hetty said as she reached across the table and patted Bertie's hand gently. "You've done a wonderful job with Martin. You can be proud."

Bertie shook her head. "I have so many regrets...so many things I wish I'd done differently…"

"That kind of thinking doesn't help anyone," Hetty said. "You need to focus on all the good you did for him. I know how much he loves you. He's a good boy and a lot of that comes from you.

"Thank you, Hetty," Bertie said, giving Hetty an appreciative smile.

Both women looked up as Kensi and Nell took the stage, both with care-free and happy smiles on their faces. Hetty nodded her head in time as Kensi and Nell began to belt out the lyrics to "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." Bertie was using her phone to record the performance on video. Martin and Eric would definitely love this.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi, Mulderette here. Jess and I would like to wish all of you a happy 2020. As always, we appreciate our readers and thank you very much for your comments. We've hit a few snags lately which has resulted in this chapter coming later than we had hoped. I had a complication with my surgery which resulted in another surgery and short hospital stay. Jess has been sick with a bad throat/tonsil infection and now is back in classes which makes writing a bit more difficult. We're both really onboard with this story though and will do the very best we can to update weekly. Hope you enjoy the chapter :)_

xxxxx

After a bit more friendly chatter and a few additional S'mores, Sam got to his feet. "It's getting late. We probably should get some shut eye."

The other three men nodded eagerly and stood up also as Sam doused the campfire. They then gathered up their gear and traipsed into the cabin.

They moved inside and Sam flicked on his flashlight, finding a kerosene lamp which cast a soft glow over the room. "This isn't bad at all," Deeks said, happy to be sleeping surrounded by four walls and a roof.

There was a table with four wooden chairs, an old-fashioned stove and a fireplace in the main room. They walked into the bedroom where two cots were next to each other on one side of the room and another cot was set on the other side. Callen immediately went to the lone cot and sat down, making it clear that he was claiming it for himself.

"Okay then," Deeks said with a grin. "Sam? Are you sure you don't want to take turns with the cots?"

"You serious?" Sam asked, grinning and shaking his head. "No way in hell am I sleeping on one of those. You little fellows can have them."

"Little fellows? We're not elves, Sam," Callen said. "You're the big and powerful Father Nature. We're just mere normal-sized mortals."

Sam ignored his partner but had to hold back a smile.

"Which cot would you like, Deeks?" Eric asked, more than willing to be fair.

Deeks shrugged. "I guess if you don't care, I'll take the one by the window."

"I don't care at all," Eric agreed.

"I'm going to sleep out in the main room," Sam said. "I guess you guys have noticed there's no running water in here or a bathroom. There's an outhouse right behind the cabin and a lakee back there as well. We can take a look at it tomorrow in the daylight and refill our canteens. I also think we should gather some wood for the fireplace. Will you be warm enough in here tonight?"

"We're fine, Sam," Callen reassured. He was already unrolling his sleeping bag and putting it on the cot.

"I'm good too," Deeks added, while Eric nodded his assent.

"Okay then, see you guys in the morning. If you need anything at all, you know where to find me." With that, Sam turned and headed for the main part of the cabin, closing the door behind him.

xxxxx

Not five minutes after getting into bed, Eric gingerly stood up, and began to silently walk towards the door. He wished there was another way outside, other than going through what pretty much counted as Sam's room.

"Where are you going?" Deeks asked, rolling around in bed until he gazed at Eric from under a blanket.

"I just need to pee." Eric said shyly, a slight pink shading already matting his cheeks.

"Again?" Callen wondered from the other side of the room. "Didn't you just go before we came in?"

"I… did." Eric answered reluctantly. "I drank a lot of water!" He tried to defend himself but it came out more like a whine.

"I know we spent most of our days on the field, but I don't remember you needing to go so much." Callen wondered out loud.

Eric twisted awkwardly in place, making his teammates question if it was just nervous energy or if he really needed to go that badly. "I have my comms on constantly, so I can just… go whenever." He tried to explain.

"TMI, man." Callen cut him before he continued.

"Leave him alone." Sam's voice boomed from outside the door, and just as Eric was about to thank him for coming in his defense, Sam added, "he has a tiny bladder."

"I will be right back." Eric then ran out the door, trying not to step on Sam as he headed outside, his teammates' laughter following him all the way to the woods.

"I'm glad Eric is here." Deeks said after a few minutes of silence. "If not, you guys would be teasing me instead." He admitted, remembering the early days when he had just joined the team.

"We still can." Callen said.

"There's enough to go around." Sam added. "And we can always go back to talking about Lucas."

Deeks rolled his eyes, but slightly palled at the same time. "No, no, forget I said anything."

"Ahhh." Just when Callen was about to join in, Eric's shriek from outside had all three men on their feet and running towards the door.

"What's wrong?"

"What happened?"

"Are you okay?"

Sam, Callen and Deeks were outside in seconds, all three half-expecting to find some bad guys had followed them and were holding a gun to Eric.

"Eric? There's nothing here." Sam said eventually, only seeing Eric look a little more wide-eyed than usual.

"There was something in the woods." Eric muttered, in a shaking voice, his hand pointing to a spot behind the cabin.

"Eric." Sam began to explain slowly. "There's a lot of things in the woods, remember it's home to a lot of animals. It was probably just an owl."

"No, no, no. It was bigger than an owl, unless it was a giant one. I'm sure." Eric rambled, back still to the wall of the cabin.

"Come on, man. There's nothing to worry about." Sam tried to reassure his teammate, before pushing him inside, Callen following silently behind.

"What if it's a bear?" Deeks asked, still rooted in place.

"Not you, too." Sam rolled his eyes. "There's no bear."

"How can you be sure?" Deeks challenged, remembering his conversation with Kensi and wishing he had brought his gun.

"I'm sure." Sam said annoyed. "But if you wanna stay outside, be my guest. Let me know in the morning how it went." He then walked inside, still pushing Eric so he would actually get back in bed.

"Wait, don't leave me alone!" Deeks shouted as the door to the cabin closed behind his teammates.

xxxxx

Waking up suddenly, Deeks felt the world closing in around in. His vision was dimmed and he couldn't see past the cot he was currently occupying. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to push sleep away, but his mind felt foggy and he couldn't force his sight to focus on anything in particular.

Breaths coming in slow gasps, he couldn't force air to pass through the tightness in his throat. Then his heartbeat sped up and his hands started shaking.

Not being able to draw air in and out of his lungs, Deeks desperately turned around trying to find Kensi, but his wife wasn't around and he was alone to fight his invisible attacker.

Gingerly stepping out of bed, Deeks rushed to the window and jerked it open in one swift movement. The cold air of the mountains then rushed into the room, slapping him hard, balancing his senses.

As the shadows began to retreat from his mind and the act of breathing became an easier task, the world around him began taking shape. First he noticed Sam's comforting hand on his shoulder, and felt Callen's presence behind him. They were asking him questions, wanting to make sure that he was okay, but all he could hear was a faint whistling in his ears. Eric was standing to his right, eyes wide. His lips were moving but Deeks couldn't make the words coming out.

Shaking his head, Deeks took in various deep breaths as he tried to slow down his breathing. And once he felt in control enough, he gently pushed his teammates away and walked back to his cot. It was bad enough that they had seen him like this and he didn't want to embarrass himself even further by trying to explain what had just happened. He knew they would ask questions and he owed them an explanation, but it could happen in the morning. For now, he just needed peace.

To Deeks' relief, his teammates stepped away and allowed him to go back without resistance. He could still feel the vibrations of sound in the air, and now he could barely make Sam's voice directing Callen and Eric back to their own beds, explaining that he just needed time, and that they all needed to rest before morning came.

Deeks was thankful to Sam, but in that moment all he could do was briefly turn around, looking at his teammate directly in the eyes, and letting their shared history speak for itself. Tomorrow, there will be time for actual words.

Getting into bed, Deeks pulled the blanket tightly around him and closed his eyes. His senses were returning back to normal and he could hear the sound of the window being closed, then his teammates whispers, but he couldn't quite make out the words, then footsteps, and silence.

Sure now that everyone was back in bed, Deeks grabbed his phone and looked for Kensi's contact. His fingers then lingered over the picture of their wedding day and Deeks wished there was signal in the woods. _Hi sunshine, I love you and miss you. _Instead Deeks sent a quick text, well knowing that Kensi wouldn't get it at this time, but needing to feel close to her somehow.

Moving to his gallery, Deeks looked for more pictures with his wife, each new one further spreading a feeling of calm around his body. Eventually, with his fingers still caressing Kensi's virtual cheek, Deeks was able to close his eyes and fall back into a more peaceful sleep.

xxxxx

Callen awoke with a start, his heart pounding. His first instinct was to look over to the other side of the room where Eric and Deeks were. He was relieved to see that the two younger men appeared to be asleep, at least he hadn't woken them. He especially didn't want to wake Deeks, unsure if he was okay. He could see from the window that daylight was approaching. Feeling nature's call, he put on his shoes and grabbed his jacket. He was relieved that they hadn't had to sleep outside. The cot wasn't the best but it was a hundred times better than the ground. He just wished Sam had gone that extra step further and opted for indoor plumbing.

As quietly as he could, he went to the bedroom door and then went to the front door of the cabin. When he stepped outside, the cold air hit him hard. "Damn," he said, seeing his breath in the night air. Shivering slightly, he made his way to the outhouse and did his business as quickly as possible and emerged from the outhouse. When he did the view in the sky made him stop in his tracks. The sky was filled with a seemingly endless array of colors, varying shades of pinks, yellows, blues and oranges, he had to admit it was breathtakingly beautiful. Momentarily forgetting about the cold, he made his way to the edge of the lake and looked out over the water. It really was an amazing sight.

"G?"

Startled, Callen whipped around to see his partner coming up behind him. "Jesus, Sam. You scared the crap out of me. What are you doing out here?"

"When you didn't come back right away, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"So, you were awake," Callen said, smirking. "I figured you were."

"Of course I was," Sam said as he gazed at his partner contemplatively.

"I'm surprised you didn't follow me to the outhouse."

"Even I have my limits. But seriously, are you okay?"

"Yeah." Callen shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"We've known each other a long time, buddy…"

"Just a bad dream," Callen admitted. "I'm okay."

Of course, Sam knew Callen's history of nightmares. He also knew that they had lessened over the years as his friend's path to self discovery had finally led him to some truths about himself and his family. "You want to talk about it?"

"It was _**the **_dream," Callen admitted after a brief hesitation.

"Oh." Sam immediately felt for his partner, knowing exactly what he meant. The dream when he'd seen his mother murdered on the beach when he was just a young child. "I'm sorry, G...I didn't know you still had that dream." Calling it a dream didn't even seem right to Sam. It was so much more than that. It was basically reliving a real life nightmare.

Callen shrugged again, his gaze on the water. "I don't have it very often. Just sometimes."

"So are you sure you're good?"

"I am. It's just not the best way to start the day, you know?" It always disturbed him, seeing that vivid horrifying scene and he still had questions. Why hadn't they shot him and left him on the beach beside his mother? The Comescus had wanted him dead. Had it just been the act of a gunman who couldn't shoot a child but had no problem shooting a woman in cold blood? He'd never know, but the questions were still there.

Sam nodded as he put his arm around his partner's upper back in a gesture of friendship. "I know it's not. And you also know you can talk to me if you ever want to."

"I do know that," Callen replied as a sudden burst of wind cut through his jacket, causing him to shiver again. "But not right now. I don't know about you but I'm freezing and you know how fragile I am." He grinned at his partner teasingly and the two men headed back inside.

xxxxx

For breakfast, Sam whipped up some pancakes on the cookstove and they ate at the wooden table in the cabin. Due to the events of the night, the men were all tired and conversation was kept to a minimum except to compliment Sam on the meal. Once the coffee kicked in though, they woke up a bit and began to chat.

"So what's up for today?" Callen asked, looking at his partner.

"I thought we'd take a walk around the lake," Sam said. "Become one with nature."

"The whole lake?" Eric asked, looking appalled. His feet were sore and he had a painful blister on his right heel. He hadn't asked for a band-aid though, not wanting to be the subject of ridicule.

"No, not the whole lake." Deeks jumped in quickly. "Right, Sam Dawg?"

Sam chuckled. "No, not the whole lake. We'll just walk alongside it for a while and see what we can see."

"Okay." Eric was still dubious about the activities but knew he didn't have much choice. He missed his computers and his game systems and most of all, Nell. He was enjoying the time with his teammates, but he could hardly wait to go home to see her.

They bundled into their jackets and set off on their walk with a slow and easy pace. Sam was smart enough to realize that they had done a lot the previous day and wanted to keep this day easy. Maybe they would do something more challenging the next day. Conversation was sparse as they just admired the scenic views around them, with all four men taking time for pictures. Finally, they arrived at a more open sandy area with a seemingly endless number of rocks in all different shapes and sizes.

"You guys ever skip stones?" Sam asked as he began scanning the area, looking for some flat rocks.

"Did I?" Deeks asked with a grin. "I was actually really good at that." It was one of the few childhood memories he had with his father that was a good one. Before everything had turned wrong, they had gone fishing and his dad had taught him how to skip stones.

"I can do it too," Eric said confidently. "You know there are lots of mathematical formulas with regard to skipping stones."

"So, competition time?" Deeks asked as he began searching for some good rocks.

"You're on," Eric said.

Callen watched his friends as they began gathering their stones. He then backed away and took a seat on a large boulder.

"G?" Sam walked over to where Callen was sitting after noticing he wasn't taking part in the search for the perfect stone. "Don't you want to do this?"

"I'm good," Callen said, shaking his head.

"I can show you how," Sam said patiently. "It takes practice, but it's a lot of fun once you get the hang of it."

"I'm just going to watch."

"Okay." Sam realized that pushing his friend wasn't going to accomplish anything and he resumed his search.

A short time later, Deeks, Sam and Eric stood at the water's edge and began skipping their stones across the lake.

"Five skips on my first time!" Deeks howled with glee. "Is that awesome or what?"

Eric and Sam did four and three skips respectively.

"Who's the champion?" Deeks called out after getting his rock to skip seven times. "That's right. I think that would be me!"

Sam's next turn was five skips and Eric managed six. Then Deeks went again and managed six the next time, Sam six and Eric seven.

"I've tied the champion," Eric said, grinning. "You'd better watch out, Deeks!"

"Contest isn't over yet, Beale," Deeks said as he moved into position to toss another stone. This one, much to his excitement skipped eleven times. "ELEVEN! ELEVEN!" Deeks yelled, pumping his fist in the air. "Did you guys see it? Did you?"

"I saw it," Sam admitted, knowing this particular contest was over. He was pretty sure neither he nor Eric was going to beat 11.

"Wow, Deeks," Eric said, admiringly. "I guess mathematical equations aren't everything. You want to give me some pointers?"

"I'd be happy to," Deeks said, as he walked over to Eric while Sam took the opportunity to go over to Callen who was still sitting with an indecipherable look in his blue eyes.

"Congratulations," Callen said as his partner sat on the rock beside him.

Sam chuckled. "I didn't win, G. Deeks did. You usually do a better job of pretending to pay attention."

"Oh...sorry," Callen said, looking genuinely surprised at the outcome of the match. "Anyhow...it looked like fun."

"It was fun," Sam said with a nod. "It still could be fun, for you too. I could show you."

"I did it once," Callen said as he got to his feet. "It isn't something I want to do again."

Sam sighed. Surely his partner didn't have some bad memory associated with skipping stones? "What happened?" he asked softly, following Callen to the water's edge.

Callen shook his head. "Nothing...it was stupid…"

Sam waited in silence for a few moments and was rewarded when Callen actually chose to go on. "I was in this foster home. I guess I was seven at the time. The foster father took a bunch of us to a pond. Some of the bigger kids were skimming stones and tried to teach me. When I didn't catch on, they focused on throwing rocks at me instead."

Sam stared at Callen incredulously. "What the hell did the father do?"

Callen shrugged. "Nothing. He thought it was funny until I got hit on the head with one of the bigger rocks. Then he decided fun time was over and we went home."

"What the hell! Were you okay?" Sam's voice was angry even though this episode had happened so long ago.

"I was fine, Sam. I'm here aren't I?" Callen asked, his eyes darkening. "Anyhow, let's get this walk or whatever it is over with. It feels like it's getting colder."

Sam watched as Callen walked on ahead and decided to hang back with Deeks, knowing G was definitely no longer in any kind of a talking mood, and also wanting to check on his other teammate. "So...about last night," he broached tentatively, not wanting to force Deeks into talking if he didn't want to, and much less, into retreating into himself for the rest of the trip.

Deeks sighed softly, as they walked, his eyes on Callen who for whatever reason was walking at a breakneck speed ahead of everyone. "What about it? It was great, best smores I've had in a long while."

"You okay?" Sam asked softly, ignoring Deeks obvious deflection.

"Yeah, I'm good, Sam" Deeks said. "But what's up with your partner? If I didn't know better, I'd say he's trying to lose us." He tried to divert again.

"Never mind G," Sam said. "Is there anything up with you? I mean… can I help?"

Deeks stopped walking and stood to face Sam. He had allowed himself to believe last night wouldn't be brought up again, but should have known better. Sam was definitely a fixer. He liked building things with his own hands and he liked making sure everyone was A-okay.

Sighing, Deeks silently wondered how much he wanted to share, but seeing a friendly Sam standing patiently in front of him reminded Deeks of their friction so long ago, so now he decided he owed it to their shared-history to be honest with his teammate. "I'm okay, Sam. Wasn't an easy night, but it usually isn't when _it _happens. Last night just took a little more effort to get back to normal." Deeks eventually admitted, purposely not voicing exactly what _it_ was. "But I'm better now, it's all in the past."

"Has this happened before?" Sam asked sadly, having noticed the phrasing of his sentence and a sort of resignation in Deeks' eyes.

Staying silent, Deeks just nodded, fighting the urge to turn around so he wouldn't see the shame that was sure to be on Sam's face.

"I'm sorry." Sam said. "What helps? Is there anything I can do?"

"Hmm…" Deeks twisted awkwardly in place. "It's just… last night" He trailed off, knowing what had been different the previous night but failing in his attempt to voice it out loud.

"Kensi wasn't here." Sam completed knowingly, a softness in his eyes so different from the usual fire that raged there. "I've been there, brother." Sam said quickly, recognizing in Deeks a desire to run, and understanding from experience. "Michelle used to have that power over me too."

Deeks stood rooted in place, silently staring at his teammate.

"What are the triggers?" Sam asked after a few minutes of silence, knowing that it would be easier for Deeks to talk if he pushed the conversation on a specific direction.

Taking in a deep breath, Deeks waited until he found his voice again. "I don't think there's a specific trigger. It just happens… sometimes. I'm sleeping peacefully one moment, then I wake up and I'm choking."

"I have woken up with panic attacks before." Sam began calmly, finally putting a name to what had happened last night. "Some days it was about old missions with the Seals, later about bad cases with the team. But eventually it wasn't about me anymore… It was something happening to Callen, or to Michelle, or to the kids. But regardless, every time I woke up panting and gasping for air."

"How did they go away?" Deeks asked, relieved Sam had experienced something similar so he wouldn't see him as weak.

"Who said they did?" Sam answered honestly. "You learn how to fight it. Not with Kensi… or Michelle's help. But you realize that all the shit that has happened in the past and is bringing the attacks now, just means that you're a survivor. So, you wear it like a badge. Like another one of those medals I got in the service or you at LAPD. And eventually it starts happening less and less often, until it just becomes an occasional nightmare. It does get better, man. Even if you're still doing the job." Sam finished understandably.

"Thank you, Sam." Deeks admitted. "Is that what's happening to Callen?" He asked, not using it as a diversion anymore but sincerely caring about his teammate's wellbeing.

"Something like that." Sam answered, appreciating that Deeks cared but not wanting to betray Callen's privacy. "He's also had a tough past. And it comes back to haunt him too. But for him, it's not like for us, where it's mostly the job that returns, for Callen… it's a little farther away in the past."

"His childhood." Deeks said simply. Being able to relate more than Sam could ever imagine, but aware that he couldn't possibly know as he had never opened up about his past to the team. "I'm sorry."

"I'm too, about both of you." Sam breathed out, wishing he could fix it all, but knowing that, deep down, he was only human.

"I will be okay, Sam. And Callen will too. Isn't that why we came on this trip?" Deeks resumed their walk, noticing that Eric and Callen were barely visible now.

Sam laughed as he followed Deeks, inadvertently drawing his jacket in a little closer, a new chill having set in the air. "Yes, it was." Sam agreed, fighting the urge to tease him about him becoming a new Kensi.

"Maybe I can try to talk to Callen sometime." Deeks wondered out loud.

"You could." Sam said, thinking the idea through. "Don't get offended if he pushes you away, tho. He's not the talkative type."

"Got it. I can always teach him how to skip stones if he refuses to talk." Deeks said smiling. "Thank you, Sam. For everything."

Sam and Deeks said nothing afterwards, they just picked up their pace and hurried to catch up with their teammates. It was getting late and the air was getting colder.

xxxxx

Following their successful night at the karaoke bar, Hetty had tried to convince Kensi and Nell to head back home with her. But the girls hadn't wanted to overstay their welcome and in all honesty they missed sleeping in their own beds, even if their boys weren't there to share it with them. So, they had gone their separate ways to rest for the night and now found themselves sitting at Deeks' and Kensi's bar, Roberta happily preparing some new drinks for them to try.

"I will be in the back. You girls let me know how you like your drinks." Roberta explained, before moving to the back to continue running inventory.

The girls nodded and continued sharing small talk as they sipped on their cocktails.

"Are you okay?" Kensi asked eventually, having noticed Nell nervously biting her lip, while she ran her hand up and down her leg for what felt like a hundred times.

"It's nothing." Nell said, even as she ran her hand down her leg another time.

"You don't sound quite too convincing." Kensi challenged. "Plus, you're displaying a whole lot of nervous quirks."

Nell sighed before she took out her phone, sliding it in front of Kensi. "I set my phone to receive alerts for the area the boys are at… and about an hour ago I received a winter weather advisory." Nell explained nervously.

Kensi shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Her own fear starting as she read the notification and looked at the map. "I'm sure everything is fine. Sam must have looked at the weather and probably changed locations."

"Yes, and they must have lost signal so they couldn't tell us. I tried to call Eric but the call went to voicemail." Nell added, choosing to support any and all of Kensi's explanations. Anything over the alternative and the mental image of the boys trapped in a snowstorm which her mind had unfortunately already conjured.

Kensi nodded, trying to look certain but a comfortable level of panic had already settled inside her. Nell's demeanor mirrored that of her friend, as both women tried to make light of the situation.

"I don't even know if Eric had any warm clothes with him," Nell admitted, trying to remember what exactly they had packed for him. It all seemed like a haze at the moment.

"I'm sure he did," Kensi said, trying to reassure the other woman. "Eric is super cautious. He would have packed appropriately." She knew Deeks had enough warm clothing for regular winter weather, but what if this was worse? They certainly weren't prepared for a bad snowstorm or God forbid, a blizzard. "They'll be fine. I'm sure of it."

"Who will be fine?" Roberta asked, returning to the bar and placing a slice of chocolate layer cake in front of each of them. Both Kensi and Nell looked stunned, each trying to think of a good cover story for what they had been talking about.

"Uh…" Nell looked like a deer in the headlights, lying not being her forte. She cast a desperate look at Kensi for help.

Kensi sighed softly as she gazed at Roberta. "I'm sure it's nothing...that they're fine, but… it seems like their could be some bad weather where the boys are."

"Oh my God, no," Roberta said, putting her hand to her chest in dramatic fashion. "Marty! Have you tried to reach them? How could they not have checked the forecast? Oh my baby."

"No, no, I'm sure they're fine," Kensi said comfortingly as she got up and hugged Roberta. "It's just a small chance and you're right, I'm sure they checked the weather and are somewhere totally safe and sound. I didn't want to worry you. They're going to be okay." She looked over Roberta's shoulder at Nell and the two women exchanged a worried look, neither of them convinced in the slightest that things were going to be fine.


	6. Chapter 6

_Just wanted to say thanks again for all those who are continuing to read and support our efforts with this story. This is a pretty long chapter, but we just didn't come to a good stopping place, well, until we stopped lol. In any case, thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy it :)_

xxxxx

After walking quickly for a good ten minutes, Callen finally started to slow his pace. He wasn't sure why he had just done what he'd done, but the brisk walk had done him good. He definitely felt better except for the cold which he swore he could feel was penetrating through his jacket and deep into his bones.

"Hey Callen," Eric said, catching up and beginning to walk beside him. "You mind if I walk with you?"

Callen shook his head. "No, of course not, but I'm wondering if we ought to be starting back soon."

Eric shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we should wait until Sam and Deeks catch up to us and find out?"

"Yeah," Callen said, nodding. "It's really cold, don't you think?"

"Oh it's freezing," Eric said. "I never really thought it would get this cold."

"I didn't think so either." Callen cupped his hands in front of his mouth and blew on them, then thrust them into his jacket pockets in an attempt to keep them warm. He was definitely not a fan of the cold.

"Hey guys, break time?" Sam asked as he and Deeks reached the other two men.

"We were actually thinking it might be time to head back," Callen replied.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, looking at Eric who nodded reluctantly. He then turned his gaze towards his other teammate. "Deeks? What do you think?"

Deeks looked at Callen and Eric who both were beginning to look miserable and knew he didn't want to be responsible for their continued exposure to the elements. "I think that's probably a good idea."

Sam chuckled. "I think so too. Come on, let's start back."

The four men began walking back the way they had come and were casually chatting when the first flake fell from the sky.

"Uhhh…" Callen stopped dead in his tracks as the flake was followed by another and then quickly by more than he could count. "What the hell…"

"Snow?!" Eric yelped. "This is not good. It's not good at all."

Deeks didn't say anything but it was obvious from his expression that he was also concerned.

"Come on, let's get back to the cabin," Sam said. Outwardly, he appeared very calm, but inside he was wondering how this had happened. He hadn't seen any signs of snow the last time he'd checked the forecast. If he had, he would have surely changed locations.

The men fell into silence, walking at a faster pace back in the direction of the cabin. The wind was howling now and the snowflakes were whipping around, hitting their faces with tiny cold stings.

Finally, they arrived back at the cabin. Shivering, they went inside and slammed the door behind them. "Hopefully, this is just a small bit of weather, just enough to make things interesting," Sam stated, attempting to calm the others who he could see looked nervous. It wasn't like they were used to snow, living in Southern California.

"What if it's not?" Deeks asked, his voice steady, but he was unable to mask the concern in his blue eyes. "What if it's some kind of storm?"

"Well, we've got a supply of fresh water in the lake," Sam said "And I have enough food so that we're not in any danger of starving. There's a good supply of wood to keep warm and plenty more if we need to go get some. No need to worry. We'll be okay."'

"Okay." Deeks nodded, allowing Sam's words to calm him for the time being. He glanced at Callen and Eric who looked to be a bit more at ease as well. Sam was right. Maybe they would be in for a bit more of an adventure than they had first anticipated, but everything would be okay.

xxxxx

After their scary walk back to their cabin, the boys enjoyed a quiet dinner inside, each of them mostly keeping to themselves, except for the occasional tease or random comment. Then, they had all watched a movie Eric had downloaded into his iPad. Sam constantly complaining about the small screen and the use of technology on a camping trip, but not able to offer much in exchange as the weather made it hard for them to do anything else. Once the dinner and movie were over, the team had gone to sleep, the air inside the cabin cold, making the rugged law enforcement officers shiver as they had gotten in bed.

It was a little past midnight when Callen woke up abruptly, his breathing coming in ragged and his eyes failing to adjust to the light in the room, the soft glow of the moon over the snow reflecting inside their room and casting a white aura that traced his teammates sleeping forms. Noticing no other sounds in the room, Callen got out of bed and silently walked outside. Finding a lounge chair located in a small porch at the back of the cabin, Callen sat down to watch the snowflakes fall slowly onto the ground. Earlier, when he had seen snow his first instinct had been to freak out, but seeing it now, Callen could admit the sight was quite beautiful.

-x-x-x-

Waiting a few minutes, Deeks stepped out from bed and shivered. Moving gingerly towards his bag, he grabbed some winter gear Kensi had packed as a precaution, putting on gloves and a beanie, his blonde locks peaking out in every direction.

"Remember what I said. Don't push too far and don't get offended if he closes off." Sam cautioned when Deeks entered the common area, eyes still closed and arms folded over his chest, even as he wondered if he should stop Deeks from trying to bond with his partner.

Deeks nodded, and determinedly walked outside. "Hey, man. Are you okay?" He asked when he reached Callen, staying on his feet, even as he saw an empty chair next to his teammate, but wanting to first judge how welcomed his presence was and how long this meeting would last.

"Did Sam put you up to this?" Callen asked annoyed, not even bothering to turn around to look at Deeks.

"Put me up to what?" Deeks questioned. "Checking up on you? No, that's a concern that comes from me."

"I'm okay. And I'm the one that should be asking that question." Callen challenged.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Deeks said innocently.

That earned him Callen's attention as the team leader finally turned around, demanding eyes staring back at the detective.

"I'm okay." Deeks echoed Callen's response, before turning serious and explaining to Callen what he had shared with Sam before.

Callen just nodded as he heard about Deeks' panic attacks and the way Kensi was usually able to calm them down. The agent secretly wishing he had someone like that but thinking about Joelle and Anna made him realize that opportunity had passed. Especially if he couldn't locate Anna or if she rejected him when he finally did so.

"What about you?" Deeks asked then. "You have been… moody all day and you didn't participate in our contest. I would have loved to say I beat all four of you." Deeks quipped.

To his surprise the question made Callen smile, because even if he didn't have a Michelle or Kensi, he still had friends, and that what more family than ever before. The thought making him realize that said family was a gift that shouldn't be taken for granted. "Just a bad memory, Deeks. They come back sometime."

"Foster care?" Deeks asked knowingly, choosing that time to sit down in the chair next to Callen.

Callen nodded before he drew in a deep breath, then began sharing with Deeks the same story he had told Sam. Trust and loyalty are a two-way street and Deeks deserved him to open up as well.

"That sucks. I'm sorry." Deeks said. "Surprisingly, it's one of the few good memories I actually have."

"What do you mean?" Callen asked, eyes blinking a few times as he failed to understand.

"What? Skipping stones is fun." Deeks defended himself.

"I didn't mean it was a bad thing to have as a good memory. Just, what do you mean _one of the few_?" Callen now fully turned around, giving his full attention to Deeks.

"It's nothing, man. Just like you said, some old memories resurfacing. But my childhood wasn't all sunshine and rainbows." Deeks admitted bitterly, not wanting to let old memories of his father ruin his good mood or deter him from his original intention for this talk.

Callen nodded, not sure if Deeks was speaking the truth or if he was just saying that for his benefit. He was grateful, either way. But the shadow that crossed Deeks' eyes and the dark blue of his eyes, told him that unfortunately his younger teammate was being sincere.

"I'm sorry." Callen said automatically, even when he didn't specifically know what he was apologizing for.

"Thank you." Deeks said with a smirk. Knowing that tonight both men had gotten a step closer to each other, even if the distance had been bridged by more questions.

With that, both men remained in silence for the next few minutes. Both enjoying each other's quiet company, while they stared at the snow and marveled at the way the world was changing right in front of them. A new experience they hadn't been able to live as kids, neither of them having loving parents like Kensi's and Sam's who took them to winter wonderlands and taught them how to ski.

xxxxx

The following morning, Eric awoke first. He slowly got out from underneath the covers and stretched his arms up over his head. He then reached for his glasses' case which was beside his pillow, put them on and looked out the window. His eyes widened in appreciation for the world beyond the glass. "Wow," he said, a little bit louder than he had intended.

"Wow, what?" Deeks murmured as he tried to wake up but ended up burrowing deeper underneath the covers.

"Outside...it's amazing."

Not one to overlook anything amazing, Deeks forced his eyes open and sat up, the cot creaking slightly as he did so. He turned towards the window, and like Eric, was more than a little bit impressed by what he saw. "You do not lie, Beale. It's beyond amazing."

"What time is it?" Callen asked from across the room.

"Sorry, Callen," Eric said, looking somewhat abashed. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay." Callen came across the room and looked out at the view through the window. "That's really something," he said appreciatively. "Definite picture weather."

Deeks nodded in agreement. "We should be able to get some great shots."

"Definitely," said Eric with a smile. He felt a sudden sense of kinship with the two men he was sharing a room with and the beautiful view they were sharing. He felt peaceful and happy and very glad that he was a part of this trip.

"So, you know what this weather is perfect for?" Deeks asked, looking out the window thoughtfully.

"Hot chocolate?" Callen asked.

"More s'mores?" Eric contributed.

"Well yeah," Deeks admitted. "Both those ideas are good, but I wasn't talking about anything we put into our stomachs, I was talking about exercise."

"We don't have any skis," Callen said, putting his hand to his mouth as he yawned. At this point, he would be more than happy to go back to bed, at least for another hour or so.

"Are we going to build a snowman?" Eric asked eagerly.

"Maybe later." Deeks smiled at Eric. "But right now, I'm talking about an activity that will get our minds and our bodies working."

"Snow angels?" Callen smirked.

Deeks rolled his eyes. "A snowball fight! A good old fashioned snowball fight."

"Oh," Callen looked intrigued by this possibility. "I'm in for that, except I don't have gloves."

"I have extra gloves," Eric said proudly. Getting some from his bag and throwing them to Callen.

"Well then, yeah, I'm in. When should we do it?" Callen asked, giving Eric a grateful smile.

"No time like the present," Deeks said. "It can build up our appetites for breakfast."

The three men walked out into the main room, taking care to be quiet, but Sam was already wearing his heavy jacket and he looked at them with a sparkle in his eyes. "Someone said something about a snowball fight?"

xxxxx

After they had put on their jackets and appropriate winter gear, the men headed outside. "So, teams or every man for himself?" Sam asked, already caught up in the excitement of the game. Somehow it felt like an old school Navy Seal training exercise. He was definitely going to kick some butt.

"Teams?" Eric said quickly, not feeling very confident in his chances on his own.

"Every man for himself," Deeks said. He smiled at Eric and winked. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."

They split up and headed for cover behind the trees and bushes. Eric made sure he was very well hidden then started to make snowballs as quickly as he could. Finally, he had a good little supply and he settled back to wait, his heart beating rapidly, almost as if he was really in peril.

Sam grinned after he had a few snowballs made and could easily spot his partner's blue jacket behind some brush. "Oh G, you really needed to hide better than that," he said, smiling to himself. He then picked up his first snowball and with almost perfect aim, hit his partner square on the back with it. "Gotcha!" he yelled gleefully, laughing as Callen scampered to another location. What he wasn't prepared for was the snowball that hit him right on his butt. He whipped around to see Deeks laughing at him. He then picked up another snowball and whipped it at Deeks hitting him on the chest.

The game went on like that for a while, men picking and choosing their shots, but no one really getting any kind of clear advantage. Even Eric was managing to hold his own so far.

Deeks was starting to get a little bit bored with the current pace of the game and a glimmer of an idea began to form in his mind. Smiling to himself, he scouted out the current locations of Callen and Eric. Closest to Callen, he quickly and quietly made his way to the other man's side. "Hey" he said when he reached him.

Startled, Callen made a move for a snowball but Deeks shook his head. "Relax, man. I come in peace."

"So, what's up?" Callen asked.

"How would you like to get the upper hand on your partner?"

Callen smirked, his eyes lighting up. "Well, he is my partner and I have a certain amount of loyalty to him, but… I'd like that very much."

Deeks grinned. "I thought you'd feel like that. Eric is over there. I'd like to get him involved as well." The two men ran over to Eric and Deeks quickly outlined his plan.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Sam called out from wherever his latest location was.

"He really is pretty cocky," Callen said, shaking his head in amusement.

"That won't last for long," Deeks said, chuckling as he worked on making snowballs. Eric and Callen worked quietly beside him until they agreed they had more than enough. "Okay. Are we ready?" Eric and Callen nodded.

"OH NO!" Eric shouted suddenly.

"Eric! Are you okay?" Sam called, emerging from his hiding place and running towards the distressed voice.

"Now!" Deeks yelled and the three men began their well planned ambush of Sam.

"What the hell!" Sam yelled, having absolutely no defense against the barrage. "Okay, okay! I surrender!" he called out eventually, having no choice in the matter and already being covered with enough snow.

"Woo! We defeated Father Nature," Callen called out as all four men burst into laughter.

xxxx

"Mmm...That was delicious," Callen said, patting his stomach after finishing the last bite of his omelet. The snowball fight had definitely made them all hungrier than usual. "I wouldn't have expected it, but for packaged food, the meals have really been good."

"Glad you think so." Sam smiled at his partner as Deeks and Eric echoed Callen in their praise for the morning meal.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Deeks asked, looking at Sam speculatively, curious as to what might be ahead of them.

"Well, I think we ought to replenish our supply of firewood," Sam said, "as well as make sure we have enough fresh water inside, just in case Mother Nature gives us any more trouble."

Callen opened his mouth to make another Father Nature joke, but then thought of Michelle and quickly decided against it. "So, what should we do first?"

"We can divide the tasks up and get them done quickly," Sam suggested. "There are a couple of large water bottles in the front closet. I can fill those and maybe Eric would like to come along with me and fill the canteens?"

"Sure," Eric answered quickly. "I'd be happy to do that."

"Okay, then Callen and I can go get the firewood," Deeks said. He gave Callen a questioning look and the other man nodded. He couldn't help but smile, remembering their talk from the night before. Already, he felt like this trip was doing them a lot of good in terms of bonding.

xxxxx

Leaving the cabin in the direction of the lake, Sam and Eric had enjoyed some small talk, until the conversation died down and Eric had begun looking a little bit nervous.

"You do know nothing bad is going to happen, right?" Sam questioned eventually, having noticed Eric's change in mood.

"Yes, yes." Eric began doubtfully. "It's not that."

"Then what?" Sam wondered. "You don't feel comfortable with me?" The question had originally been meant as a joke, but even the slightest possibility of it being true worried Sam.

Eric shuffled uncomfortably in his place, squirming at the pressure of Sam's stare. "I just… I just wanted to ask you a question. But I don't know if it's okay."

"You can ask me anything Eric." Sam said softly, not liking that his teammate seemed so nervous around him. He had never been Eric's best friend but he also didn't think he had done anything to offend or anger him.

"Hmm." Eric looked like he wanted to run but Sam saw his teammate swallow harshly at the same time his free hand tightened into a fist. "I just wanted to know… how did you and Michelle know it was the right time? When?"

And now Sam understood his teammate's nervousness and apprehension. Asking that question had taken a lot of courage.

"But you don't have to answer." Eric said quickly, having mistaken Sam's silence for rejection. "I can just ask Deeks, don't worry." Then he turned around to look back in the direction of the cabin, looking like he wanted to bolt back to safety.

"Eric calm down. I'm not bothered by the question." Sam tried easing his friend's concern, before he got into the question itself. "Time for what? Moving in together? Getting married?" Sam inquired.

"I don't know. All of it, I guess." Eric said shyly.

"Well, Michelle and I, we met working together but then we went back to our different agencies so it was slow at first. But, it was also easier because we could better separate our work feelings from our personal lives, until eventually it all began clear and we began taking steps forward."

As it was second nature to him now, Sam took a quick look at the sky. Sending a silent _I love you and I miss you _to Michelle before he began talking again. "But for Deeks and Kensi it was different. And for each forward step they took, it seemed as then they went three steps backwards." The comment making both men laugh as they remembered the progression, and in some times regression, of the Deeks'.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's different for everybody, man. There's not a right timeline to follow." Sam hoped he could be more useful but love and relationships were complicated and there was no easy answer. "Why do you ask? Are you thinking of proposing to Nell?" He eventually wondered out loud.

"No… yes… No..." Eric rambled nervously, eyes rooted to the ground. "Not now anyways."

Sam said nothing and just waited patiently for his teammate to continue talking. It was clear that he had more he wanted to say.

"It's just… we were good. We were really good. But then Nell's mom got sick, and everything got complicated, and she decided to take a step backwards. We were already living together so I thought the next obvious step was marriage, but now we are not. And I don't know what's the next step anymore." Once he had opened up the dam, all his doubts and fears had come pouring out, and Eric felt refreshed and lighter after that.

"Eric. There doesn't always need to be a clear step. Sometimes the road gets foggy. But you just gotta keep sight of the end point." Sam resumed his back, and signaled to Eric to follow. They could talk on the way but he wanted to get this done and get back to the cabin. "There was a time when Michelle and I took a break, and you know, Kensi and Deeks, they took a lot of those. But sometimes taking a step back is good, it can help us see a new perspective and get a clearer picture of what you want, or sometimes, even what you need."

"But what if… that perspective tells Nell she doesn't want to be with me anymore. We are no longer living together and breaking up is a logical next step after that." Eric was glad they were back to walking towards the lake, that way Sam wouldn't need to see the anguish in his eyes.

"Stop thinking about steps or objectives or checkpoints. Life is not a video game." Sam said honestly, having also noticed Eric's wide eyes. "Aiden played a lot of video games growing up so I know the language." He added as an explanation.

"Ok." Eric said, still sounding unsure.

"If Nell decides she doesn't want to be together anymore, that will suck, man, I'm not gonna lie. But you can't worry about that or do anything to stop it. You can just be yourself." Sam tried to reassure his teammate, understand from experience how he felt. "And for whatever is worth, I don't see that happening. You and Nell are perfect for each other. Just like Kensi and Deeks. And years ago I would have never said that. But I guess, our Duchess of deception is also our resident cupid, because she's two for two."

"And she could be three for three if you and Callen ever decide to get together. I mean, most days you already act like an old married coupl…" Eric trailed off, noticing Sam's murderous stare. "I'm sorry." He shrieked and ran towards the now visible lake, almost managing to slip in his effort to escape.

Sam smiled once Eric was out of sight. Hoping he had been able to ease some of his friend's concerns. He had meant it when he said love was complicated, but it was all worth it in the end. And he would never share any part of his history with Michelle… just how it ended, but that hadn't been his fault. Even if it had taken him a long time to accept that.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the familiar, sad feeling, Sam continued the last stretch towards the lake. Quickly they filled everything out and continued back towards the cabin. They had taken longer than usual so Callen and Deeks would surely be back and waiting for them to continue on with their day.

xxxxx

"With all these trees, I would have thought it would be easier to find firewood," Callen grumbled as he and Deeks walked along. They were being careful to keep the lake in their sightline, not wanting to take any chances on possibly getting lost.

Deeks nodded. "We'll find some, don't worry." He suddenly realized that Callen had said something else but he had no idea what. "Um sorry, I missed that," he said sheepishly.

Callen smirked. "I asked how you and Kensi were doing. How's married life?"

Deeks' face lit up as he smiled. "Married life is great. Better than I ever thought it would be. I mean, Kensi, she's just amazing and... " He realized he was gushing and stopped talking, knowing this could be the perfect opening for teasing.

"And what?" Callen asked, appearing to be genuinely interested.

"Well, you know Kensi," Deeks said with a shrug.

"I do," Callen replied, smiling. "Although it's not like how you know Kensi."

"I should hope not," Deeks said, chuckling. "It's kind of hard to explain. I mean, we lived together before, but now it just feels different. She's my wife and I just love her more than I ever thought possible. I just want to always be there for her, to make sure she's okay, to protect her…"

"So, does the job make it harder?" Callen asked.

Deeks considered the question. "I don't know. We've been partners for so long now. A lot of it is just instinct now. We know each other as well as we know ourselves. Probably like what you and Sam have, a silent communication."

"I know what you mean," Callen said, nodding. "I guess that's just the way it is when you've been partnered with someone for so long."

"And...and there's the question of children," Deeks said, shooting Callen a quick sidelong glance, unsure if it was wise to broach that particular topic.

"Yeah?" Kids would be great," Callen said. "Is that something you want to pursue now?"

Deeks hesitated, still unsure if he should be talking about it, but then nodded. "Yes...we...actually we've been trying. It...it just hasn't happened for us yet."

Callen's eyes widened slightly at Deeks' words. He was surprised, but not really sure why. "Sometime it takes time though, right?"

"Yeah, it does." Deeks stopped walking and took a deep breath. "It's just hard. Each month that goes by, Kensi is so disappointed and I don't really know how to help her."

"But...it's not just Kensi," Callen stated, watching Deeks closely. "I mean, it affects both of you...she's not the only one whose disappointed, right?"

Deeks nodded, quickly swiping his hand across his eyes which were suddenly filling with tears against his wishes. "I want to be strong for her though. She's the one who will actually be carrying this baby...It's still different."

"Well, we both know I'm not the world's utmost expert when it comes to this subject, so it might not be all that helpful," Callen said as he put his arm around Deeks' upper back, "but if you ever want to talk…"

"Yeah?"

"Any time," Callen said, nodding solemnly. "I mean it. Sam's kids are pretty grown up now, but I always liked being their uncle Callen."

"Thanks Callen," Deeks said. "I really appreciate that, and our baby would be honored to have you for an uncle." They shared a heartfelt smile until they were suddenly distracted by the sudden appearance of some scattered snowflakes which seemed to appear out of nowhere. "But for now, I think we'd really better get moving on the firewood."

"I think you're right about that," Callen said as they picked up the pace and began searching for firewood more intensely.

xxxxx

The road back to the cabin had happened much quicker than the walk down towards the lake. Sam and Eric only sharing small talk, but feeling more comfortable around each other, but the sudden appearance of more snow flakes pushing both men to walk faster.

Reaching the cabin, they secured the pots of water safely inside and promptly frowned looking at each other. Both men noticing that the cabin seemed all too quiet and there was no firewood around.

"Shouldn't they be back by now?" Eric asked, trying to keep his raising fear contained.

"Yeah, but I'm sure they will be back soon." Sam was trying not to use his mathlete brain to start making calculations but even without them he could agree that Deeks and Callen should have arrived already.

Eric nodded and walked to the window, hoping to see their teammates walking towards the cabin, but instead all he saw was snow. "What if they got lost?" He inquired eventually.

"Callen's been camping with me tons of time, and he's a good tracker. They aren't lost, Eric. They probably just got distracted." Sam explained as calmly as possible.

"But it's snowing pretty hard, that must make tracking kinda difficult." Eric hated to be the one voicing what he thought was obvious but he preferred to be safe than sorry.

Sam decided to stay quiet after that, but Eric's questions and evident fear had been passed to him and the usually composed ex-Seal was starting to get worried. "Let's give them 15 minutes."

Eric nodded again and went to sit down on the couch, hoping to entertain himself with a game on his phone, but images of avalanches, frozen lakes and Callen and Deeks trapped at either of them continued to play on his mind. Sighing in frustration, he threw his phone back onto the couch and began pacing the room.

"Oh, come on. Let's go." Sam eventually relented after just five minutes had passed. Already moving to gather his jacket and boots, along with a flashlight, and some other things just in case.

Eric raised an eyebrow in a silent question but Sam just shrugged. He then exited the cabin and waited for Eric to follow.

"You're all making me paranoid." Sam grumbled as the two men began walking back around the cabin, calling their friends' names hoping they would hear and call back to them.

"G!"

"Deeks."

But no answer came.

"CALLEN." Sam shouted a bit harder this time.

"Martin!" Eric added for good measure.

They continued to search for around 20 minutes, their fear and frustration growing with each passing second. They even considered separating to cover more ground, but seeing the storm intensity, both men quickly decided against it. All they wanted now was to be back safe at the cabin, but every moment that passed without finding Callen and Deeks, added more of a sinking feeling to the men, both of their minds silently stuck on all the worst case scenarios.

xxxxx

"You think we have enough?" Deeks asked, his arms full of various sized branches and sticks.

"I think so," Callen said, nodding. "I don't think I can carry much more anyway." Not to mention, it was freezing once again. "Do you get the feeling Sam brought us to Alaska without telling us?"

Deeks smirked. "Sure seems like it. This definitely isn't any kind of weather I was expecting."

"No, me either. "Come on, let's head back before the snow gets any heavier."

They turned around and started back. "We're really lucky this lake is here to serve as a guide," Deeks said as they walked. "I'd imagine it would be pretty easy to get lost without it."

"Yeah it would," Callen said. What had seemed like fun that morning had definitely done a complete turnabout. Right now, all he wanted was to be safe and warm inside the cabin.

Suddenly, Deeks stopped short and Callen almost walked right into him. "Deeks, wh…" Callen shut up as Deeks put his finger up to his lips. Both men stood silently, listening. Finally, Callen heard it too, a low-pitched menacing growl. He and Deeks stared at each other, unsure what to do or which direction the sound was coming from.

The next growl was definitely louder. Deeks could feel his heart pounding and he wished Sam was here with them "Is it a bear? What do we do?" he whispered, all thoughts of what one should do in a situation like this totally gone from his head.

"I…" Callen's words were lost as the source of the growls suddenly appeared. A huge, brown bear made its presence known. Their fear intensifying, Callen and Deeks both froze and dropped their stacks of wood to the ground. The noise seemed to anger the bear as he began to approach them, growling more menacingly as it grew progressively closer.

Deeks instinctively reached for his back, but predictably there was nothing there. "I knew I should have brought my gun." He muttered under his breath, trying not to startle their new companion again.

"Deeks, you wouldn't shoot a bear." Callen called back.

"Why does everybody says that?" Deeks sneered. "If it's the bear or me I totally would." He then threw his arms up in exasperation.

"Well, at this very moment, I can see the logic behind your argument." Callen reasoned, not particularly wanting to die on what was meant to be a fun trip. "So, what do we do?"

"Run?" Deeks wondered.

"No! We could scare him and he might chase us." Callen explained as calmly as possible. Remembering all the many times he had been told to never run away from a wild animal.

"What if it's a she?" Deeks asked reasonably.

"What?" Callen was definitely confused.

"The bear. You said he. But it could be a she." Deeks explained as if he was making perfect sense.

"How is that important now, Deeks?" Callen tried to remain calm. "Either way, he or she, is gonna want us for dinner."

"Lunch." Deeks corrected, taking a look at his watch. "It's only…" He trailed off, seeing the look on Callen's face.

"Sorry." Deeks said sheepishly, drawing a hand along his hair. "I don't make any sense when I'm nervous. You know, say a lot of inconsequential things."

"Deeks, please stop rambling and shut up." Callen whispered with an apologetic look, but he had noticed the bear slowly getting closer again and he assumed their voices were to blame for that.

"Never thought it would end like this," Deeks whispered so low that Callen could hardly hear him. "Poor Kens…"

"Poor Hetty," Callen voiced quietly. To lose, not one, but two, team members on a trip she hadn't been comfortable with to begin with...he knew it was going to devastate her.

_Poor Sam._ They both thought to themselves, realizing that this would hit him harder than anyone else. Looking to their sides, they saw water to one side and infinite woods to the other, but nothing that could help them escape this current predicament. Looking at each other, both Callen and Deeks saw their own helplessness and desperation mirrored in each other's faces, as they both swallowed hard, noticing that the bear kept getting closer and closer.

Callen stared at Deeks, a sudden thought entering his head. "If we go in different directions, he can't catch both of us. I'll distract the bear and you go find Sam as fast as you can."

Deeks shook his head. "And have him tear you into pieces while I'm gone? Not happening."

"Come on Deeks, Think of Kensi."

"Think of Sam. After what happened to Michelle, he can't lose you Callen. I'm better at distracting bad guys anyways. You know I am."

"It's a bear, Deeks, not a bad guy. Not the same thing. I'll distract him."

Deeks shook his head again. "Not happening Callen. Either both of us get out of this or neither of us does."

"Stubborn," Callen muttered, staring at the bear as its pace quickened and knowing they were both going to die.

xxxxx

_This sounds like the perfect time to add a little disclaimer. Apologies for any inaccuracy in this or the following chapters. We do the best we can but the extent of our meteorological and fauna knowledge is limited to tv shows and google, and we both live on the East Coast so we're not experts about California specifics. We're also sorry for ending this one on a cliffhanger but we will be back soon. Thanks for reading and following this journey with us!_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven**_

_Hi all, Jess here. Sorry for the slight delay in posting this chapter, family health issues and school being busy is making writing a bit hard but hopefully that will all get better soon. Thanks again to everyone that's reading and accompanying us in this journey, we both really appreciate it and hope you continue to enjoy the story._

xxxxx

"Wish the damn thing would just leave," Callen whispered even as the bear took another step toward them. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw something that turned his blood to ice. A smaller bear, equally dark as the bigger one in front of them, suddenly appeared from within a thick layer of leaves. His fur whitened by the falling snow, and his eyes much less menacing than what Callen assumed was his mother.

Suddenly, the bear stood on his hind legs and let out its most menacing growling roar yet as it lunged towards the two men. Deeks automatically took a step forward, and the bear caught him between his paws.

Hearing Deeks groan, Callen bent down and picked up a large branch, swinging it forward in an attempt to scare the bear away and get him away from his teammate. His defensive maneuver had no effect whatsoever though as the bear swiped at him with his paw and bit Deeks' arm. Blood immediately started to gush from the wound as Deeks stumbled backwards, hand moving to rest on a big boulder so he wouldn't fall to the ground.

xxxxx

Sam and Eric had been searching for what felt like hours, but in reality they knew it hadn't been longer than half an hour. Both men were tired and worried, so they decided to keep looking for a few more minutes before they would try to head back to the parking lot and try to contact the rangers.

Their patience was rewarded quickly when they heard a low groan, then a loud cry.

"Was that…?" Eric asked, but the look on Sam's face cut his question short.

Being able to recognize Callen and Deeks' voices anywhere and anytime, Sam spared no time and just started running towards the sound. His movement however was cut short and his heart began beating quickly and soon as he came to stand on a small clear area overlooking the lake.

A few seconds later, Eric caught up to him. The expression on his face instantly mirroring the look on Sam's face, as both teammates took in the scene in front of them. To their relief, both Callen and Deeks were there, but to their horror, two bears surrounded them. A smaller one to the side, looking more like a bystander that wanted nothing to do with the two men. And a bigger one just in front of them, swiping its paws at them, as Callen tried defending himself with a branch, while Deeks stood to the side holding his arm close against his torso. A crimson spot already evident on his jacket.

xxxxx

"Callen, run." Deeks said in between gritted teeth. "Go, and look for Sam. That's our best chance."

Callen spared a quick look at Deeks, and shook his head. He was aware that their situation had changed but he was still not leaving his man behind. "How hurt are you?" He asked, wanting to know if Deeks could follow if they both decided to bolt, hoping the mother would stay with her cub. That new development explaining to Callen why they were even in this predicament as most wild animals he knew, rarely attacked humans unprovoked. He remembered having been told that some types of black bears did prey on humans, considering them a potential food source. But in this case, it was only a mother protecting her cub. And thinking of Hetty, Callen couldn't fault the bear from doing so, especially as she didn't know neither him nor Deeks wanted to hurt them.

"I'm okay." Deeks said, panting. "I can run." He said, naturally understanding Callen's plan. "I say you go right, I go left. We meet back up in the middle. Hopefully both bears will stay behind."

Callen nodded, hoping they wouldn't be about to do something very stupid but he was truly out of ideas. "See you on the other side." He muttered as he moved to the side and started to run, but just then a shot sounded randomly out of nowhere, and then a second one, just as he felt a piercing ache on his thigh, just before his leg gave in and he tumbled to the ground.

xxxxx

Coming to the realization that Deeks was already hurt and Callen would soon follow, Sam saw no other option, so he reached for his back, drawing out his gun.

"What?" Eric asked, eyes wide. "What are you doing here with a gun?"

"Eric, we're federal agents, we always carry a gun." Sam explained quickly, taking aim as best as he could with the raging storm.

"Will you shoot her?" Eric wondered nervously. Not wanting Callen and Deeks to be hurt but also not particularly liking the idea of killing a mama bear.

"No, Eric. Not unless I absolutely have to. I will just try to scare her away. Now let me aim." Sam pleaded, not wanting to hurt Eric's feelings but needing to focus.

Planning his shot, Sam considered his options. He hadn't seen any other campers around as he had walked but he couldn't be sure there were no other people, maybe even hunters, so he couldn't risk shooting wide. But he also didn't want to get too close.

Being completely focused on his hands and gun, Sam failed to notice that Deeks and Callen were preparing to make a run for it and especially that Callen had already taken a step sideways. So when he finally pressed the trigger, his first show had the intended goal of drawing the mother bear's attention away from his teammates. But he couldn't understand how or why his second shot had been followed by Callen's sudden cry as he fell down onto the ground. The blood flowing from his leg making Sam take a step back, eyes going wide, and heart beating faster than before, as he realized that somehow he had just shot his own partner.

xxxxx

Hearing the shots and then barely seeing Callen stumble to the ground, Deeks changed his direction and quickly moved towards Callen. Still holding his injured arm, Deeks stood over his fallen teammate, ready to stand in the way, if the bear came any closer to them. But to his relief, both the mother and cub, started running away from them, the mother quickly ahead, as the cub followed slowly behind. Immediate threat gone, Deeks breathed a sigh of relief as his legs also gave in and he fell to his knees. His previous worry and fear having turned to a brief relief and now just confusion as Eric and Sam suddenly appeared, both with grief-stricken faces as they ran towards them.

xxxxx

"Eric, help Deeks," Sam ordered as he dropped to the ground beside his partner. "G? Hey buddy, how you doing?"

"I'm good, Sam," Callen said, managing a half smirk as he tried to control his shivering. "You...you're starting to look like a snowman. What are you doing out here?"

"We got worried when you weren't back at the cabin," Sam explained as he took off his jacket. He then pulled his Henley up over his head and tore it into two strips, one large and the other much smaller. He handed the small strip to Eric. "Okay G, I'm going to tie a tourniquet around your leg for now so I can get you back to the cabin. Then I can take a better look at it." He could see his partner was freezing and luckily they weren't too far from the cabin. He expertly tied the tourniquet then put his jacket over his partner. "Eric? How's Deeks?" he asked, looking over at the other two men.

"Deeks is fine," Deeks said, but his face was pale and drawn and it was easy to see his was in pain.

"Eric?"

"He's bleeding, but it's not too bad," Eric replied as he finished bandaging Deeks' wound. "How's Callen?"

"He'll be okay," Sam said gruffly as he got to his feet and bent down to pick up his partner.

"What the hell are you doing?" Callen snapped. "I can walk. You're not carrying me."

"Sorry buddy," Sam said as he pulled him into his arms and held him closely against his chest. "This isn't up for debate. We need to get back to the cabin as fast as possible and warm you guys up."

"You need help, Deeks?" Eric asked, his tone gentle.

"You're sure as hell not carrying me," Deeks said, his attention on Callen as they started to walk. He stumbled, feeling slightly dizzy as Eric put his hand on his arm to steady him. Deeks was still very confused as to all that had happened, but hopefully once they got back inside, everything would become clear.

xxxxx

Once they got back to the cabin, Sam gently placed Callen down on one of the wooden chairs. "You doing okay?" he asked his partner who nodded. Sam then turned his attention to Deeks. "Deeks, sit down before you fall down." He could see the blood which was coming through the bandage Eric had put on Deeks arm.

"Eric? Help me bring Callen's cot in here," Sam directed and Eric quickly moved to do what Sam wanted. After they had brought the cot into the main room, close to the fireplace. Sam helped Callen onto the cot and laid him down, then thanked Eric who had brought over the first aid kit. "Do you think Deeks' wound needs stitches?" Sam asked as he rummaged through the kit and took out the items he needed.

"No," Deeks replied.

"Yes, I think so," Eric contradicted, giving a nervous look in Deeks' direction.

"Okay, Deeks can you hold your arm up over your heart until I can get over to you?" Sam asked. "It will help slow the bleeding."

"How's Callen?" Deeks asked, uncomfortable with the attention being on him, but still lifting his arm, following Sam's instructions.

Sam looked down at his partner who appeared a bit woozy. He took some scissors and cut the pant legs away from the wound. There was a clear entry wound but no exit wound. "Damn it."

"What?" Callen asked, his eyes on Sam's face. It was easy to see he wasn't happy. "What's wrong?"

"Don't worry…"

"About what?" Callen asked, still looking dazed. "I don't understand. What happened? Did I get shot?"

"Shhh...We'll talk about that later. You're going to be okay," Sam replied. "Just rest up for now. I need to go take a look at Deeks' arm."

"No, no you don't," Deeks said who'd been listening to every word.

"Yes, I do," Sam pointed at the drops of blood on the floor that had soaked through the makeshift bandage. "You're bleeding too much."

"It'll stop," Deeks insisted. "I don't need stitches."

"Hey, it will be okay," Sam said soothingly. He searched through the first aid kit again and came up with a small nip bottle which he passed to Deeks. "One of Hetty's best. Drink it. It should ease the pain a little."

"That's all you've got in there?" Deeks asked. "Don't you have something that will just put me into la la land?"

"I can knock you out with my fist," Sam joked.

Deeks nodded. "Yeah, do that."

"Come on, Deeks, I'm not going to hit you," Sam said.

"Why not?" Deeks wondered, trying to sound as serious as possible. "You had no trouble doing so when we first met. Just think of how much you hated me back then and give me your best shot."

"I didn't h…" Sam began to say, but then shook his head and stopped talking. Lies wouldn't get them anywhere, especially not ones dealing with moments 10 years in the past.

"There's gotta be something better than that in that little magic kit you have there Sam," Deeks insisted, figuring that maybe he could pissed off Sam enough to impulsively hit him. "Let me look." He knew Sam packed a mean punch, but anything would be better than the alternative he knew was soon approaching.

"Fine, Deeks, there is something better," Sam snapped, losing his patience. "But I'm not going to give it to you."

"Why not?" Deeks asked as he looked at Sam and then his eyes traveled to Callen. "Oh." Deeks sighed deeply filled with sudden guilt. "I'm sorry, Sam. Do what you've got to do."

"I'd give you something if I could, Deeks," Sam said, "but I…"

Deeks shook his head. "No, you're right, Sam. Listen, I'm sorry. I just...I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," Sam said softly. "I'll be as gentle as I can with this. There's some stuff in here I'll spray on it. Might make it hurt a little less."

"Let's just get it over with," Deeks said. Now that he knew this was happening, he just wanted to get it done as quickly as possible.

"Okay...let's see what we're looking at," Sam said. He carefully unwrapped the bandage from Deeks arm revealing a nasty looking wound with caked on blood that was stuck to Deeks' shirt, as well as a lot of blood which was obviously still coming from the wound. Sam shook his head. "Eric? Can you get Deeks a clean shirt?"

"Sure, Sam." Eric hadn't said a word during all of these goings on. He went into the other room, and rummaged through Deeks' bag until he found a clean shirt. He really wished none of this was happening. He wished they were still enjoying the snow, throwing snowballs or making snow angels, or even better, all safe and sound back in LA instead of in this godforsaken cabin with wounded men and a storm raging outside.

xxxxx

"I'll be right back." Sam instructed, before quickly exiting the cabin.

With both his teammates gone, Deeks took a minute to let his facade fall, as he took in a few, deep calming breaths. He knew what was coming wouldn't be easy on him, but it wouldn't be any easier on Sam and Eric. So he tried to prepare himself for the expected discomfort, not wanting to seem weak but also not wanting Sam to feel guilty or add any further anguish to their situation.

A few minutes later, both men came back, Eric holding a clean shirt and Sam with a water basin and other utensils in hand.

"Why don't you change first?" Sam asked gently. "It will be harder later and I'd rather you not move your arm much after we're done."

Deeks just nodded and awkwardly started trying to remove his jacket and shirt. To his relief, Eric took pity of his struggle and decided not to wait to be asked for help, moving naturally towards Deeks and helping him change into the clean shirt. "Thank you." Deeks said sheepishly, after the short ordeal was over, all of them knowing that it was only the easy part.

"Okay, so first we need to clean this wound." Sam began to explain, wanting Deeks to know everything that would happen and to understand why it was important. "This is not the most sterile of environments but we have to try to fight off the chance of infection as much as we can." Then he began soaking a towel in warm, soapy water.

Deeks nodded again, knowing the control he had over his emotions was frail and not trusting his words not to betray how nervous he was.

"Let me know if it hurts." Sam offered, as he began scrubbing the skin around the wound, being careful to get the debris away from it and not into it. He then irrigated the wound thoroughly before spraying it with antibacterial cleaning spray, and adding an antibiotic cream for good measure. "Ok, we're done with this part…" Sam said, letting the implication of his words hang in the air.

"Ok." Deeks said softly, knowing there was no point in trying to fight Sam anymore. Not only did his ex-Seal teammate knew more first aid than any of them, but he had no intention of jeopardizing his health any further, even if that meant taking on a bit of pain, he had a marriage to get back to.

"Why don't you drink some of that," Sam suggested, indicating the small bottle he had given Deeks previously.

"Just do it, Sam," Deeks said, shaking his head. He refused to take anything that Callen might need, and he wouldn't be the reason why his team leader would need to endure any more pain than necessary, or why Sam would feel any more guilt than his features currently reflected. He could take one for the team.

"It might be easier if you close your eyes." Sam suggested instead, wanting to find any measure of comfort he could give Deeks. He then moved to sterilize the instruments trying to block Deeks' view of them with his back.

"Fine," Deeks got that Sam didn't want him watching, and if he was honest, he wasn't too keen on seeing the needle either. He did as the other man asked and closed his eyes, immediately thinking of Kensi's face. 'I really wish you were here with me, baby,' he thought to himself, inadvertently wincing as he felt the needle pierce his skin. 'This is not a whole lot of fun anymore. It started out okay, but… I miss you, Kens...I really do…' He tried to concentrate on anything else but he still felt every one of the stitches that Sam put into his skin. He felt slightly nauseous and he kept thinking about the mother bear with his arm in her mouth. This really sucked.

"Deeks? Hey, I'm done. You okay?" Sam asked as he began covering the wound with gauze and then with a clean bandage, but not before adding some more antibacterial spray and antibiotic cream. An infection setting in would be the worst possible thing that could happen right now, and he knew he needed to be proactive rather than reactive with this.

Deeks opened his eyes and gave Sam a shaky smile. "I'm good. Thanks," he whispered, his features however, betraying the certainty of his voice.

Sam had wanted to point out how proud he was of Deeks, and how brave he had been, but choosing not to throw Deeks further into the spotlight or make him any more uncomfortable, he shook his head and instead settled on smiling back at him.

"We're going to get your cot in here too," Sam told him after a few seconds of silence. "It's warmer and I want you in here." He'd done the best he could with the wound, but it didn't really look good and Sam knew the risk of infection was still a very real one so he'd rather keep a close eye on Deeks for any signs that one was settling in.

Deeks nodded, too tired to protest and deriving some amount of comfort from the thought of being in the warmer part of the cabin with Sam performing overwatch duties over his injured teammates, even though he would have much preferred if it was Kensi and not Sam.

xxxxx

Sam ran his hand over his face as he stood up and walked over to the front window of the cabin, not quite ready to deal with his partner yet. Eric followed him and they both stared outside at the storm which was now fully raging. Sam shook his head. "I'm really sorry I got you guys into this…"

"It's not your fault, Sam," Eric said. "You didn't know this was going to happen, none of it."

"We're in the middle of a really bad storm, Eric. Deeks got his arm chomped by a bear and I shot my own partner. I should have tracked the weather better. I should have been more careful out there."

Eric shook his head. "You don't control the weather, Sam, and sometimes storms just come out of nowhere. And It's not like you aimed the gun at Callen. It was just a freak accident. Stuff like that happens."

"Not to me," Sam whispered. "I need to go take care of G. Keep an eye on Deeks, will ya?"

Eric nodded and watched as Sam went over to his partner. After one more look out the window, he went over to sit with Deeks.

xxxxx

"Hey, G, you hanging in there?" Sam asked, forcing false cheer into his voice as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to Callen's cot.

"My leg is really big, Sam," Callen said, looking wide-eyed and not particularly pleased with it. "It's huge. It's like a giant balloon."

Sam looked at Callen's leg which was admittedly a little bit swollen but certainly nothing like what Callen was describing. "It's okay, G...you're just imagining it, okay? Listen, I'm going to give you a shot to put you to sleep and when you wake up, you're going to feel better, okay?"

"You have shots for that in your little bag of tricks?" Callen asked, torn between sucking it up while Sam removed the bullet or just succumbing to the drug and sparing himself that kind of pain.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I guess Hetty likes us to be prepared. I'll get that bullet out of your leg and you won't feel a thing." Sam took the Ketamine vial out of the first aid kit and mentally thanked Hetty for having provided items which would never be in a standard kit. He put the medicine into the syringe and injected it into the muscle of Callen's arm.

"What was that for?" Callen asked, glaring at his partner as the injection had taken him by surprise.

"I told you. It's just an injection to put you to sleep, G. When you wake up, you'll feel better."

"A little warning would be nice, next time."

"Well, let's hope there's not going to be a next time."

Callen's lips twisted into a half smirk as if he'd been about to say something, but whatever it was remained unknown as he began to succumb to the effects of the Ketamine and eventually dropped off to sleep.

xxxxx

"Hi." Eric said softly, as he came to sit on the floor, besides Deeks' cot. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, Eric." Deeks said honestly. The wound still ached a bit, but now he was doing much better since it had been taken care off and the painful part was over. "Thank you."

"For what?" Eric wondered in uncharacteristic frustration. "I wish I could have done more."

"Like what, man?" Deeks asked honestly. "Have the bear bite you instead? There's not much any of us could have done. So I just appreciate you being here and checking up on me." He said sincerely. "But I do wonder, what happened out there?"

Eric swallowed nervously, knowing the question was coming, but still not sure how to properly answer it. "Hmm… We took a bit longer than expected to get the water, so we assumed you guys would be back for sure by the time we returned. But you weren't, so we started to get worried and eventually headed out to look for you. We couldn't find you and the storm was picking up so we thought about looking for the rangers but decided to first give it one last try and that's when we found you…"

"I'm glad you didn't look for the rangers." Deeks said honestly. "They might have been able to take us out of here, but I'm not sure Callen and I would have been this unhurt then." Thinking about it, he knew they both were quite lucky and had to be thankful for the relative minor injuries. "Then what happened?" He pushed after Eric had remained silent, having reached the part of the story he was really curious about.

Drawing a hand through his short hair, Eric at least appreciated that it was Deeks asking the questions and not Callen. It would be much harder to explain to him. "We reached an open area that overlooked the lake and that's when we first saw you both and the two bears. We were still far away and the snow barely left us any visibility. And the bears were getting closer."

"Eric." Deeks said, cutting the man off. "I'm not placing any blame, and you don't need to defend your actions. I just want to fill in the blanks of what we missed."

Eric nodded appreciatively, hoping that Callen would be as understanding as Deeks. "Thank you. So… Sam took out his gun then, trying to scare the bear away, and the first shot was successful, but you already know what happened with the second…" Eric trailed off, but began to ramble soon after. "Sam couldn't see much, I don't even know how he managed to take the shot. I could never…"

Deeks stare cut Eric's arguments short, as the tech just swallowed hard and moved his stare down, not wanting to see Deeks' face, scared of what he would find there. "What did I just say, brother? I'm not blaming any of you for what happened, I'm just thankful that you found us in time and were able to help." He said honestly.

"I just hope Callen feels the same way." Eric muttered under his breath, remembering Sam's distraught look when he realized what he had done.

"I can't speak for Callen, but I think he will understand. We didn't have much options left, and at least we're both alive and only minorly hurt."

"Thank you." Eric said now, deeply appreciating Deeks' calm and bright outlook on the whole situation. Though, it shouldn't really surprise him. There was no one better than Deeks at turning the darkest of storms into a bright day. The thought making Eric wish the actual storm raging outside would let up soon, wanting to see the sun shine again, and honestly hoping they could somehow still continue their adventure.

Getting no response from Deeks after a few minutes, Eric looked up to see the man's eyes were now closed. His breathing coming in slowly, as he had seemed to have fallen into a peaceful sleep. "Sleep well." He whispered, glad his teammate was getting some rest after his ordeal. Looking up to see Sam sitting by Callen, Eric gingerly stood up and walked towards them.

xxxxx

"Sam? Do you need help?" Eric asked. He felt bad for the other man. His feelings were written all over his face. He briefly considering sharing his recent talk with Deeks, but decided against it, not wanting to give Sam any false hope in case Callen wasn't as understanding.

"Can you pass me a pair of gloves from the first aid kit?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, sure." Eric did as Sam requested and also brought over some water which he had taken upon himself to boil. Sam sterilized the instruments and went to work, grateful that his partner was asleep and not suffering through the procedure. It took a bit of exploration but finally Sam was able to snag the bullet and he dropped it into a small metal cup which Eric had provided.

"Everything good?" Eric asked, relieved that the bullet was now out of Callen.

"Yeah, sure...everything's great," Sam replied, staring at the bullet. It was hard to believe such a tiny little piece of metal could cause so much trouble. Then again, it wasn't the first time this had happened, but it certainly was the first time that Callen had been shot by his own partner. He wasn't sure that either of them would be able to get past it any time soon. Or at least he hoped Callen would, even if the guilt would remain in him for quite a bit longer.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hi everyone, Jess and I want to thank all of you who are reading this story. We really appreciate your reviews and comments. Hope you enjoy our latest chapter :)_

xxxxx

Hetty smiled as she looked at the photograph in the 8x10 silver frame sitting on her lap. It had been the first Christmas that Callen had spent with her as a boy. It had been like pulling teeth to get him to agree to a picture, never mind smile, but the endearing smirk in the photograph was definitely him. Usually, when he or the other team members were in a mess, she had only herself to blame. This time she didn't, but somehow, she still blamed herself nevertheless.

"I really hope you and your friends are safe," she said as she took a sip of herbal tea. "I wish you had just taken my yacht and were safely out of the path of this storm."

Watching the news had only made her feel worse when she saw the severity and extent of the sudden snowstorm. She knew they needed to institute a plan, but until the snow actually stopped, any rescue efforts would be fruitless. Not to mention, they did not yet have any idea where to even begin the search. Why she hadn't insisted Mr. Hanna give her a location before they left was beyond her. Even a simpleton would have insisted on that and she hadn't even thought of it.

"I am very sorry, Mr. Callen," she whispered as she carefully placed the photograph back on the side table. If they weren't found safely, this was most certainly on her.

xxxxx

The first thing Callen felt as he started to awaken was a persistent throbbing pain in his leg. He also felt very tired and was tempted to just fall back to sleep, but he finally forced his eyes open. Once he recognized the cabin, it all started to come back. Eric was the closest so he called out to him, his voice hoarse. "Eric? Can you get me some water?"

Looking startled at first, Eric nodded and quickly complied with Callen's request. He poured some water from a canteen into an easier to handle plastic cup. "Do you need help?" Eric asked.

Callen shook his head as he took a couple of sips of the cool liquid, allowing it to soothe his throat. "I'm good...Thanks."

"Let me know if you want more." Eric said. "You warm enough?"

Callen nodded, as he fidgeted a bit, trying to make himself more comfortable. "Is it still snowing?"

Eric nodded unhappily. "It's snowing a lot…"

Callen could see how worried the tech operator was but at the moment, he had no words of comfort. "Hopefully it will stop soon" was the best he could come up with. He wasn't feeling particularly optimistic about their chances at the moment. How this trip had turned into them being stranded in a cabin in the middle of a raging snowstorm was beyond him. Taking a team trip on Hetty's boat sounded a lot better to him at the moment. He wished they had taken her up on her offer. Then again, with the run of bad luck they were having, someone likely would have drowned or been attacked by a shark.

"Do you need anything for the pain?" Eric asked.

Callen shook his head. At the moment he just thought he'd suffer through. They probably didn't have anything that would be all that helpful anyway. He glanced over at Sam who was standing alone looking out the window. He knew they had a lot to talk and think about, not only what had happened, but primarily finding their way out of this huge mess they were in. But he was just so tired now, so he allowed his eyes to close; for the time being, he just needed to sleep.

xxxxx

Sam sighed as the windows rattled once again. He couldn't help but think if he hadn't gotten the cabin, they actually would have died as a result of this freak storm. It made him shudder just to think about it. Not that they were safe by any means. He had no idea how they were going to get out of this mess he had made. He had never meant for Deeks' trip to turn into something like this. Callen was still asleep so he walked over to check on his other teammate. Deeks still appeared to be peacefully asleep, so Sam just sat beside him, not wanting to disturb him.

"Kens?" Deeks murmured, as he twisted about fretfully under the covers. "Kens? Where are you?"

"Shh...it's okay," Sam said softly as he rubbed Deeks' shoulder comfortingly. "You're going to be okay."

Deeks opened his eyes and shifted, grimacing when a bolt a pain shot through his arm. "Hey, Sam...Callen okay?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, he should be okay. How are you feeling?"

"Good as gold," Deeks said with a forced smile. It would have been convincing except he couldn't quite hide the pain in his eyes.

"I have some stuff for pain in the first aid kit," Sam informed him.

"I…" Deeks considered that for a few short moments then shook his head. "No thanks, I'm good."

"There's plenty for both of you," Sam said, having a good idea where the detective's thoughts were going.

"Maybe later," Deeks said, allowing his eyes to close once again.

"Okay, later," Sam whispered. Making a point to remember to give some pain meds to both men during dinner, maybe even some of the antibiotics Hetty had included for good measure.

xxxxx

"You hungry?" Sam asked softly, walking over to Eric who was sitting at the small wooden table, playing with some game on his phone.

Eric put down the phone and looked at Sam then shrugged. "Not really, why? Are you?" He actually was a little bit hungry, but preferred to let Sam call the shots regarding meals, not sure of the amount of food they actually had.

Sam shook his head before pulling out a chair and sitting down at the table, across from Eric. "I don't know...I guess I'd rather wait until Deeks and G can eat with us. If they don't wake up soon, I'll make us some dinner."

Eric nodded. That made sense to him. "Maybe the snow will stop by morning…"

Sam sighed heavily then looked at Eric, his eyes serious. "And if it has stopped? Then what?"

The question took Eric by surprise and he gave Sam a slightly anxious look. "Then… I don't know, Sam. Does, does anyone know where we are? Like Hetty for example?" If someone knew where they were then help would likely be on the way at some point.

"Nope...no one knows, Eric. I thought this was going to be such a good plan, a great party for Deeks, by his friends, celebrating his marriage. His _friends … _With friends like us, who needs enemies?"

"That's not true, Sam," Eric said, shaking his head. "Deeks knows you wouldn't have wanted any of this to happen. He knows you meant for this to be a fun trip. He certainly knows you wouldn't have wanted him to be hurt or for Callen to end up shot."

Sam said nothing, but Eric could tell he was at least listening to him, which was encouraging. "What about whoever you rented the cabin from...they know you're here, right?"

Sam nodded, the question giving him a glimmer of hope. However, it had been a private rental by an elderly man who owned the cabin. He'd just happened to come across the advertisement online. "Yeah, that's true."

"And if anyone can track us down, you know Nell will be on it," Eric said, unable to hide his admiration for his girlfriend.

"Yeah...Nell is very good at her job," Sam said, not sounding all that convinced. His eyes were now on his partner who still appeared to be sleeping, although maybe he was playing possum, Sam didn't really know.

"She's the best at her job, Eric said more enthusiastically this time. "There's no one better."

"I know she is," Sam said with a touch of a smile on his lips at Eric's defense of the woman he loved so much, and he knew Eric's words were true. "I just wish…"

"What do you wish?" Eric prompted.

"I wish I had just gone along with what Hetty wanted. We should have just taken her boat out. But I had to be stubborn. Instead, I insisted on giving the three of you a great bonding experience in the wilderness. This is a really great experience, isn't it?" He stared at Eric until the younger man lowered his eyes, uncomfortable with the intensity of Sam's gaze.

"The storm isn't your fault, Sam."

"Sure it is," Sam said, interrupting the younger man and getting up from his chair, shoving it under the table with a bit more force than was necessary. "I'm Father Nature. All of this is my fault." He then went over to sit by his partner, desperately needing to talk to G as soon as he awoke again

"And it was a great experience." Eric completed to himself. "Still could be," his words not higher than a whisper. Then, feeling lonelier than ever before on this trip, he stood up and walked outside.

xxxxx

"You know, if you break a chair, you're the one who's going to be sitting on the floor," Callen's eyes were closed but the smirk on his lips was unmistakable. "And I'm not paying for it if whoever rented us this place finds out."

"I had a feeling you were awake," Sam said as he took in a deep sigh of relief and slowly let it out.

"Who could sleep with you throwing furniture around?" Callen asked, grinning at his partner as he opened his eyes.

"Can I get you anything?" Sam asked, his eyes anxious as he looked back at his friend. "Are you warm enough? Do you want some water?"

"Unless I'm mistaken, I did hear you mention something to Eric about dinner," Callen replied.

"You're hungry?" Sam asked, inwardly glad to hear it. That was definitely a good sign that his friend was feeling better. "Okay, I'll get right on that."

"No, Sam wait," Callen ordered.

"What? Do you need something for the pain?"

"No. Just sit, please," Callen requested, all serious now. "I want to talk to you."

"Okay… what is it, G?" Sam asked as he sat down on the chair by his partner.

"I just...I want to thank you for what you did out there…"

"Seriously, G?" Sam asked. "You're going to joke about this already?"

"Joke?" Callen asked, truly bewildered as he stared back at Sam. "Who's joking? Trust me, when that bear was chomping on Deeks' arm, there wasn't anything funny about it. How is Deeks anyway? Is he okay?"

"He should be okay as long as we can keep the wound from getting infected. I'm going to keep a close eye on him." 'On both of you,' he added mentally.

Callen nodded, temporarily having lost track of what he had been talking about. "So as I was saying, thank you, Sam. If you guys hadn't come along and scared off that mama bear, there's no telling what would have happened."

"I know what wouldn't have happened," Sam said glumly. "You wouldn't have been shot."

"This little pipsqueak wound?" Callen chuckled lightly. "It barely broke the skin."

Sam shook his head as he ran his hand over his face. "I dug it out of you, buddy. Trust me, it did more than break the skin."

"And you went running around the desert looking for Mosley's kid right after you were shot in the leg, Sam. I'm fine."

"Well, let's wait and have a doctor determine that."

"You don't listen to doctors," Callen muttered under his breath.

Sam raised an eyebrow at his partner's words, but decided not to debate him, just then. "You said you were hungry?" he asked instead.

Callen nodded. "I am."

"Okay...I'll get us something for dinner," Sam said as he placed a hand on Callen's shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay, buddy," he said solemnly. "I just want you to stay that way."

"I know you do, Sam," Callen replied. "But don't worry. I'm going to be fine. Now go get us something to eat."

Sam smiled then headed over to where the supplies were kept, determined to get Callen something he would really like for dinner.

xxxxx

"Is this seat taken?" Deeks asked, a faint smile on his face, as he pointed to the empty lounge chair on the cabin's back porch.

Eric shook his head and sighed, the pain lines on Deeks' face and the sight of his bandaged arm pressed closed again his body a clear reminder of his current predicament. "What are you doing here? You should be resting." Eric said eventually.

"I'm fine, man. This is just a scratch." Deeks said, trying to sound sincere. "I've had much worse."

"Yeah…" Eric wasn't sure what else to say, well knowing that Deeks' words were the sad truth and memories of convenience stores, dirty garages and Mexico making a dark shadow cross both of man's eyes. "I'm sorry." Eric added as an afterthought.

"For what?" Deeks wondered, head twisted sideways as he finally sat next to his teammate.

"For not being able to help more." Eric said honestly.

"Then or now?" Deeks asked knowingly, certain both men had thought back to the same events in the past.

"Both?" Eric shrugged and turned his eyes back to the falling snow.

"Well, just know that I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for you. None of us would." Deeks said honestly, patting Eric on the back as a sharp breeze blew some of the falling snow in their direction.

"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Deeks asked more to himself than to anyone in particular, his eyes glued to his open palm and the melting snow he had just catched.

"When it's not right to kill us, maybe." Eric admitted reluctantly. Wishing he was staring at said snow from the comfort of his home and in one of his video games.

"Nature is not conspiring against us. It's just bad luck." Deeks then stood up and walked towards the small wooden steps that ended in the now white grass.

"Sam would disagree." Eric muttered under his breath, his mood uncharacteristically sour.

"It won't be easy for him at first. But once he talks to Callen I'm sure he will feel better. And soon enough he will realize that he saved our lives. You both did." Deeks said smiling, his boots coming to stop in the last step. His face one of awed as he really took in the beauty of it all. Coming from a background like his, he had learnt to appreciate the little things in life, even when it had let you stranded in the middle of nowhere.

"I did nothing." Eric said darkly, feeling particularly useless when he couldn't use technology which was always his greatest asset. "And what are you doing here anyways, Sam said you should rest?" He added, trying to change the subject.

"I told you I'm okay. And dad and dad are talking. I felt they needed some space." Deeks said, walking back towards the top and pointing inside.

_Good. _Eric thought to himself. Hoping the partners finally sharing a conversation would alleviate the mood for all of them.

"Seems like they're done. Let's go see if Sam needs help with dinner." Deeks said after a few minutes of silence, having kept an eye on the cabin's window to know when it was safe to go back inside.

xxxxx

"Need some help?" Deeks asked as they walked back inside.

Sam was already in the kitchen, busying himself counting their remaining food packages as the food warmed itself on the stove. So he just shook his head and continued working. "And you should be resting."

"I'm okay." Deeks said for the third time, hoping someone would finally believe him. "I can still help."

"Me too." Eric echoed from beside him.

"What about setting up the table and bringing me the first aid kit?" Sam asked, having promised himself to be less harsh and better delegate duties so they all could keep their minds off the storm raging outside.

"Again?" Deeks asked nervously, not sure if the kit was meant for him or Callen.

"I just want to get the pain meds and antibiotics." Sam said with a smile, with Deeks and Callen's dislike of anything medically related the two could pass as brothers. Then again their shared similar pasts probably explained that similarity but Sam was still in the dark about what he imagined was Deeks' bright childhood.

Grabbing the offered kit from Eric, Sam took out the meds and decided to let his friends be for now. But he would need to clean up their wounds again before they go to bed for the night. "Deeks, come here." Sam directed, noticing how he awkwardly tried to set up dinner, fighting the natural urge to use both his arms.

"What can I do?" Deeks asked after he finished setting up some paper plates and disposable silverware.

"Nothing." Sam said as he rummaged inside the kit.

"Then..?"

"Hold your arm still and keep it close to your body." Sam directed, finally looking up to him. "I wish I had a real sling, but this would have to do."

"I said I'm okay, Sam." Deeks said through gritted teeth, tired of his words seemingly carrying no weight.

"I know, I just want to keep you that way." Sam admitted honestly, sending Deeks a pleading look.

Remembering that Sam always needed to feel in control and like he was doing something useful, Deeks nodded and stepped closer to him. Remaining silent as his friend completed the makeshift sling. "Thank you."

Sam smiled in appreciation, knowing that his teammates didn't like when he fussed over them, but also wanting to be proactive and prevent any more harm coming to any of them.

xxxxx

"Dinner's ready." Sam said after a few minutes. "Eric can you set the food on the table, while I help G stand up."

"I can stand up by myself." Callen refuted from the couch.

"Sure you can, buddy." Sam's characteristic smirk planted on his face, even as he quickly moved to his partner's side as soon as he put his injured leg down and stumbled.

"Thanks." Callen said reluctantly. "But don't lift me again, just a hand is enough."

Sam lifted his hands in a placating gesture before offering one to Callen and helping him limp to the chair. He would have preferred for his partner to eat in bed but he knew Callen wouldn't have appreciated the sentiment.

A few minutes later, the four men were gathered on the table as they enjoyed a simple dinner. Small talk plentiful but all conversation staying away from the topics of snow, guns and wild animals. When dinner was completed, Eric had cleared up the table, preferring to busy himself while Sam dealt with Callen and Deeks and the bottles of meds.

Predictably, Sam had won that particular argument and the injured teammates had no choice but to do as directed, with Eric smiling to himself at the domesticity of it all. Even if this trip had ended up with more hurt than any of them had wanted, Eric knew it had still helped the teammates grow closer as they had gained a newfound camaraderie.

"Do you guys want to watch another movie?" Eric asked, holding his tablet. It wasn't so late, and with dinner done and everything cleared out, there wasn't much to do, especially with the storm still going on.

"We could also play a board game?" Sam offered with a simple smile. "The owner of the cabin told me there's some in the room's closet."

"Oh, I like games." Eric shrieked excitedly, discarding his tablet and rushing to the room. He came back a couple minutes later with 3 boxes of games and a grocery bag.

All three teammates smiled at their friend's change of demeanor but it was Deeks who voiced everyone's thoughts as it used to happen more often than not. "Who knew all it took to get our familiar Beale back was some games?"

Eric shook his head, ignoring Deeks' comment, his hand moving to the bag and taking out a yellow and purple package.

"Elfin Mix?" Callen asked with raised eyebrows.

"Nell showed it to me during one of our movie nights." Eric explained, his smile never wavering.

"Why am I not surprised?" Sam chuckled.

"It's really good. Don't be fooled by the name." Eric argued, opening the bag and grabbing a caramel popcorn as if to emphasize his point.

Following his lead, Deeks dipped in, coming up with a pretzel and a cookie which he ate together. His lips instantly turning upward into a smile as he went for a second try, his mind going to Kensi and how much she would love it. He would have to get it for her once they were back in LA.

Eventually Callen and Sam joined in and to their surprise found out they really liked the sweet and salty combination of the snack. Making a point to control how much of it Eric had, both remembering how he got when he ate too many candy canes, and knowing the man wouldn't ever go to bed if he also went overboard with the sugar.

"So?" Eric asked eventually, holding out the game boxes for his friends to see. He was happy they enjoyed the Elfin Mix but he still wanted to play.

The team settled on some quick games of traditional Chinese Checkers before Eric convinced the others to play some Clue. The game being crazier than usual with the three field agents offering absurd ideas while promising that they had seen it happen in a case.

The rest of the night had gone well, with the four friends laughing more than in the last 24 hours. All of them finally able to forget what had happened and managing to ignore all the dangers that still lurked outside, at least for a few hours.

xxxxx

"I found them." Nell said proudly, fingers still quickly typing on her keyboard. "Well not quite found them, but I have their last known location before their phones lost signal."

"That's a good start." Kensi said, peering from behind and looking at the screen.

After their realization at the bar, the girls had taken some time to calm down Roberta before heading their separate ways and promising to get together the next day as they try to find more about the boys. That's how they found themselves now in ops, standing alone in front of the big screen as they tried to locate their teammates.

"But if they moved after that. I won't be able to know." Nell added, talking more to herself than to Kensi in particular. It always helped her to bounce ideas off Eric so she had gotten the habit to discuss her findings out loud before sharing them with the rest of the team.

"Part of me wants them to have moved so hopefully they escaped the worst of the storm, but…" Kensi trailed off, biting her bottom lip.

"But another part doesn't, because then we have no idea where they are." Nell completed knowingly.

"Yeah…" Kensi just wished she could contact Deeks to make sure he was okay and to learn if they even needed rescuing. Maybe too many years in law enforcement had made her paranoid and she was just jumping the gun. The thought was more calming than unsettling as she just wanted her friends and husband to come back home safely.

More typing then followed, before another map came up on the phone and a few websites opened up. "Ok, this is where they had dinner after they left LA, and this is the inn where they stayed, where Deeks made that call to you." Nell said pointing at the websites and then the corresponding spots on the map. "If need be we can call these places to find out more about the boys and maybe even find out if someone heard them talking about their destination."

"Thank you, Nell." Kensi hugged her friend, feeling better now that they had a lead in case there came a time for a rescue. "Hopefully we won't need any of this, but it pays to be prepared."

Nell nodded as she continued to type commands on her computer, her nerves much better now that she at least felt useful in some way.

"Should we call now? You know, just to be _further_ prepared?" Kensi wondered impatiently, while she munched on a donut she had picked up on her way here.

"We promised to be patient." Nell said kindly. "So I will just finish emailing myself all this information and we will head out, go home and try to relax until we know more." She finished a little more forcibly, knowing that if it were up to Kensi she would have already commandeered an army to storm out the whole mountain range.

"Ok." Kensi agreed sheepishly, her heart clearly winning over her brain, so she was glad to have Nell to add some bit of control. But she hadn't rescued Deeks from Sidorov and carried him through a whole desert just to lose him to nature and a freak storm.


	9. Chapter 9

_Hi all, Jess here. Sorry for the delay in updates but we're back. We both really appreciate the support for this story and all the favorites, follows and reviews. Hope you continue to enjoy this little adventure._

xxxxx

"_Deeks? Where are you going?" Callen tried to follow after his friend who was trudging through the snow, but his wounded leg hurt, and the snow was very deep. "Deeks, wait up. I can't go as fast as you. What are you doing anyways? Where the heck are you going?"_

"_I need to feed the bears," Deeks called back. "Just go back to the cabin, Callen."_

"_What? No! You can't do that!" _

"_They're hungry. I have some Elfin Mix for them. They'll like it. I bet they've never had it before. It will be a nice treat."_

"_Deeks, please come back," Callen pleaded. "This is crazy. That mama bear will eat the Elfin Mix and then she's going to eat you!" _

"_Don't be such a worry wart. I'll see you guys later." Deeks then picked up the pace and headed for the area where they had last seen the bears. Callen couldn't keep up and fell drastically behind. He followed Deeks' footprints in the snow, walking slower and slower, until he stopped short. Up ahead, he could see Deeks' body lying still and lifeless in the snow. As he drew closer, he saw the whiteness of the snow, marred with the redness of Deeks' blood. He dropped to his knees into the cold snow and tears came to his eyes. He couldn't believe this had happened. He had no idea how they would ever be able to give Kensi this heart wrenching news…_

Callen's eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed, shivering. He looked around the cabin frantically until his eyes settled on Deeks. Even in the dimly lit cabin, he could see that he was breathing, and he very definitely had not been eaten by a hungry mama bear and her cub. _Damn it, what's with these nightmares?_ he mumbled to himself. He shifted on the cot, causing a bolt of pain to shoot through his leg and the cot to creak loudly. He was freezing, despite being close to the fire and he wanted his jacket. He looked around and saw it draped over one of the chairs at the table. The way his leg felt at the moment, he wasn't sure he wanted to attempt to walk over to get it. Sam's sleeping form was right in the direct pathway from his cot and he doubted he'd be able to get the jacket without waking him or even worse tripping over him.

He stared into the fire and sighed heavily. He wondered how deep the snow really was. If it was anything like his nightmare, he'd never be able to hike back. He'd have to stay behind until the others got help. He imagined that Deeks would stay back with him.

"Callen?" Deeks whispered from his cot a few feet away. "Are you okay?"

Callen nodded silently, not surprised when Deeks ended up coming over to his cot. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Callen replied. "Just kind of cold."

"You want your jacket?" Deeks asked.

Callen hesitated and then nodded. Deeks deftly moved through the cabin, avoiding Sam and brought the jacket to Callen who gave him a grateful look as he quickly put it on. "Thanks."

"No problem...you sure you're okay?" Deeks asked as he awkwardly got down on the floor besides Callen's cot. "If you don't mind my saying so, you look kind of spooked."

"Bad dream," Callen answered shortly.

"Your mom?" Deeks asked, giving him a knowing look.

Callen immediately shook his head. "No... not my mom…not this time"

"Well, I know people don't think so, but I really am a good listener if you want to talk."

Callen shook his head with a humorless smile. "Trust me...you don't want to hear about this."

"Try me."

"You wouldn't ever go looking for the bears again, would you?" Callen asked.

Deeks' eyes widened as he shook his head. "Um, maybe if I was a crazy person," Deeks stated. "No, Callen. Trust me, I'm not going to go looking for the bears."

"Well, that's good to hear," Callen said. "Unfortunately, dream Deeks or nightmare Deeks wasn't as smart as you."

"No? Did the bear rip my arm totally off this time?" Deeks asked, grinning, trying to get Callen to lighten up and forget about the dream.

"Worse than that…"

"My leg?"

"The bear killed you, Deeks," Callen snapped, not wanting to listen to Deeks go through his body, part by part. "You went to give her Elfin Mix and it obviously wasn't enough to feed a hungry bear. She ripped you to pieces."

Deeks couldn't help it, he started to laugh. "Come on, Callen. Dream Deeks was a dumbass. He went to give the bears a little package of Elfin Mix? You need to see the humor in this. Although, I have to admit I'm feeling a little insulted that your version of me was so dim-witted."

"I don't think you're stupid, Deeks. Far from it. I don't know why I dreamed that."

"I know you don't," Deeks patted Callen's shoulder reassuringly. "Come on man, forget it. I'm fine and I promise you, I'm not going out to feed the bears, Elfin mix or anything else."

Callen nodded, but his eyes still appeared haunted.

"You want some tea or hot chocolate?" Deeks asked, deciding to try to distract Callen from the dream. "Might warm you up."

"How's your arm?" Callen asked, abruptly changing the subject. "Are you in a lot of pain?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Deeks said. "How about you? How's your leg?"

"It's fine," Callen said, knowing neither of them was being entirely truthful about their injuries. "Thanks, but I don't need anything to drink. I... I think I'm going to try to get back to sleep. Thanks for checking up on me."

"Any time," Deeks said. "Don't hesitate to wake me if you need anything."

"I won't...thanks, Deeks."

"You're welcome, Callen...get some rest."

Callen nodded and watched as Deeks went back to his own cot. He then laid back down and tried to warm up and get comfortable, but it was a long time before he finally fell back into a troubled sleep.

xxxxx

When morning finally came, Callen woke up feeling more exhausted than the night before. His sleep had been restless, and he had spent most of the time switching and turning trying to find a comfortable position, but the release had never arrived. The physical discomfort had been bad enough, but his dreams had been the worst part. After Deeks and the bear, it had been Eric getting trapped in an avalanche, then Sam falling down a cliff. Each time he had woken up with a start, shivering even though the jacket was warm enough and frantically looking for his teammates. Now he was awake again and he just wanted to go back to bed.

Groaning, Callen gingerly stood up. Looking at the other cots and the spot on the floor that had previously been occupied by Sam, he frowned noticing that he was alone. Taking a quick peek inside the bedroom, Callen's heart began spiraling out of control when he found out his teammates weren't there either. Maybe his nightmares hadn't been dreams at all and Deeks, Eric and Sam were really dead. Eyes going wide, Callen pictured having to be the one to tell Hetty, Nell and Kensi that the rest of the team was gone, and he almost went down. Then he heard a laugh coming from outside the window and he half-walked, half-jumped to the edge of the cabin so he could look outside. Deeks and Sam were sitting on the lounge chairs talking calmly to each other, his partner smirking at whatever it was Deeks was saying. Then Eric joined them, coming from the direction of the restroom.

Sighing, Callen ran his hands through his face as he tried to calm down his racing heart. _Everything is okay, everyone is okay,_ he told himself over and over again. Hearing steps nearing the front door, he jumped and quickly limped to the small kitchen, turning on the sink and splashing some cold water on his face. Hopefully then he would lose the deer-in-the-headlight look that was sure to be on his face. He had enjoyed his brief talk with Deeks last night and his younger teammate had reacted well, but he didn't want to open up about the other dreams and make himself look like he was losing his mind. Even if he still thought that he was going a bit crazy.

"G!" Sam shouted cheerfully as soon as they came through the door. "Glad you are awake, brother; we were waiting for you to have breakfast."

Callen smiled at Sam's lighter mood and nodded appreciatively. "What were you guys doing outside? Isn't it cold?" He asked, trying not to freak out by the still falling snow.

"Yeah." Deeks said chuckling.

"Sure is." Sam added, mirroring Deeks' smile. While Eric just shifted uncomfortably in his place.

Feeling like he was the only one out of the inside joke, Callen raised his eyebrows, hoping his friends would share more. But Sam and Deeks just giggled and turned their eyes towards Eric, who continued to look very uncomfortable.

"Okay, I needed to pee, and I didn't wanna go alone!" Eric said exasperatedly, finally caving to the pressure of his teammate's stares.

Callen couldn't help but chuckle, wondering how that conversation had gone. "Why?" He asked, even if he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Eric sighed embarrassingly before opening his mouth again. "I was scared the bears could be outside."

Sam and Deeks burst out laughing again, and Callen joined in, even if deep down inside he admitted Eric's concern was totally warranted and he was also nervous about the possibility of the bears showing up again. Callen knew Deeks was always full of jokes but now he wondered how he could seem so relaxed after it had been his arm inside the bear's mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny guys. But I heard something about breakfast and I'm quite hungry." Eric said, his stomach growling as if to emphasize his point.

"You got it, Eric. Hopefully there won't be any bears in the kitchen." Sam muttered the last part under his breath, before he walked further inside and got started on breakfast.

Eric rolled his eyes but stayed silent, knowing it was better to endure the teasing until his friends found a new target for their jokes.

"Do you need any help?" Deeks asked.

"No, it's okay. Just sit down and relax, I've got it." Sam said, trying to sound as normal as possible. He knew their food supplies were running low and he didn't want to worry his teammates so he would try to keep them in the dark for a bit longer. "After breakfast, I will head back out to gather more wood. Last night was a cold one so we used more than before."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Eric asked nervously, noticing the blanched look that Callen and Deeks shared at Sam's words.

"Of course, man. And we need the wood, unless you guys want to share a cot tonight so you can stay warm." Sam said as he continued to work in the kitchen, not wanting to get into how they would be good if they had managed to bring more wood the day before, but Deeks' and Callen's trip had been interrupted.

"Okay, I will go with you, then." Eric offered.

"I can go alone, Eric. You just stay here." Sam replied vaguely.

"We don't need a babysitter." Callen said knowing his partner quite well.

"I know, G. But Eric and I are the only uninjured ones, so it's better if Eric stays behind." Sam tried to reason.

"Are you expecting something else to go wrong?" Deeks joined the conversation, his mind going to the many things that could still spoil this trip.

"Not really, but it's always best to be sure. And, food's ready." Sam began moving the omelets to the table and then some water.

"Then, I will go with you." Deeks proposed.

"No." Sam, Callen and Eric all said at the same time, all of them knowing Deeks was sort of a magnet for danger.

"Come on, guys. I can still be helpful with one arm. At least it's not my leg." Deeks said innocently, sending an apologetic look to Callen, which turned into a wince as soon as he noticed Callen's murderous glare.

"I will go alone, and that's the end of the discussion." Not that it ever was a discussion in the first place, but Sam left that last part unsaid.

"Just go with Eric, we will be okay." Callen said in a commanding tone, reminding Sam that even if he was the one with the outdoor experience, he was still the leader of the team, even when this wasn't a work trip.

"Then who will take care of you?" Sam asked, the worry back on his face, and his lightened mood nowhere to be found.

"I will." Deeks said simply.

"And I will take care of him." Callen added innocently.

Sam just glared at his friends' smiling faces and turned back towards the table. "Time to eat guys, we can talk more about this later." Anyone that didn't know them would think that G and Deeks were two little angels, but Sam knew better and after the bear incident he wasn't leaving them unsupervised again.

xxxxx

"Mmm… that was delicious." Deeks sighed contentedly after he had finished eating every bit of his omelet. "You're almost as talented as I am in the kitchen, Sam."

"Oh, is that right?" Sam asked with a grin. "Those are fighting words for sure, Deeks. When we get home, I challenge you to a cook-off."

"Oh you are on," Deeks grinned at the prospect. "You don't know what you're asking for."

"And you have no idea of my hidden cooking talents," Sam bragged.

"Oh I definitely want to be a judge," Callen joined in, knowing the culinary dishes would prove to be quite a treat.

"Me too!" Eric called out.

"Sure, you guys can judge, Kens and Nell too," Deeks said grinning, but then his smile faded a little as he thought about just how much he missed his wife. Although he wouldn't want her to be a part of this situation, not having her with him still hurt.

"Sounds like a plan. We'll definitely do it...when we get home…" Callen trailed off as his eyes went towards the window with the seemingly never-ending supply of falling snow.

The other men fell silent for a few moments until Sam got to his feet. "Alright, I'm off to get the wood. You guys be good until I return."

"Take Eric with you," Callen demanded, sounding more demanding than he had meant to.

Sam stared back at Callen for what seemed like a long time but was probably no more than a few seconds. Finally, he nodded. "Fine, Eric can come."

"I just...I really think it's better that we're always in pairs," Callen explained, trying to ease the slight tension.

"Yeah, you're right," Sam said, "but just please, just hang out in here and try not to get into any trouble, okay?"

"What if we have to go to the bathroom?" Deeks asked with a grin.

"Do you?" Sam asked glaring at the detective.

"Uh, not right now."

"Well, we're not going to be out very long. I think you'll be fine."

"Whatever you say, Sam Dawg," Deeks said, determined to lighten the mood.

Sam rolled his eyes but was unable to stop the smile that appeared on his face. He turned his attention to Eric who was zipping up his jacket. "You ready to go, Eric?" he asked.

Eric nodded. "All set, Sam. See you guys later."

"Be careful," Callen said as he and Deeks watched the door close behind their teammates.

"Now what?" Deeks asked, giving Callen a questioning look.

"I don't know…" Callen shrugged and limped over to the first aid kit then pulled out the bottle of ibuprofen and shook two tablets into his hand. "You want any?"

Deeks shook his head. "No, I'm good...just curious, why did you wait for Sam to leave before you took those?"

Callen swallowed the tablets down with a gulp of water and sighed. "I think it's kind of obvious, isn't it? I have a very overprotective partner. I don't want to worry him."

Deeks was about to protest Callen's actions but then reconsidered. "Are you in a lot of pain?"

Callen shook his head. "I'm fine, Deeks. Just want to take the edge off if I can." He wished he could have taken the pills in private, but privacy was severely lacking in the cabin and that just wasn't possible. He wasn't even sure that two ibuprofen tablets would make a dent in the throbbing he was feeling but it couldn't hurt to try.

"You should probably keep your leg up," Deeks suggested after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah, I know…" Callen went over to one of the chairs and sat down then rested his leg on a small wooden crate that had been in the cabin when they arrived.

"Want to play a game of cards?" Deeks asked.

Callen nodded as Deeks grabbed the deck and began to shuffle the cards.

xxxxx

"I add another run". Deeks said, signature smirk on his face at the way he was crushing Callen on this Rummy game. While the agent only had two sets and one run, the detective had just gotten his second run, on top of his four sets.

"Yeah, yeah, let's see how well you do in another game." Callen rolled his eyes and grabbed another card.

Deeks just smiled confidently, feeling pretty good about his chances regardless of the game. Not many people assumed the surfer was also a good gamer, but he had spent a lot of lonely nights undercover distracting himself with a deck of cards.

For the next few minutes, the game continued much in the same way as it had been going since the beginning. Callen barely holding his own as Deeks continued to fill the table in front of him.

"We should play Durak next." Callen grumbled after Deeks got yet another run.

"Why am I not surprised that you're suggesting the one Russian game among all the ones we could be playing?" Deeks asked, while silently wondering if maybe card games had also been Callen's entertainment when he had been an operator in Europe.

"What, are you scared your luck will finally run out?" Callen teased, but before he could continue, a crash sounded outside. "What's that?" Callen said instead. Taking a look out the window but not able to see much from his sitting position.

"Maybe Sam and Eric returned." Deeks offered weakly. "Yes, it must be that. Let me take a look." He added, trying to steal his nerves and sound sure of himself.

Callen just nodded and waited for Deeks to say something, but the detective uncharacteristically stayed silent, his only response his eyes going wide and a nervous hand running down his hair.

"What's wrong?" Callen asked knowingly, having long ago learned to recognize the tales of all his teammates.

"It's just wind." Deeks tried downplaying the situation. "It must have been a branch falling down or something".

Callen gingerly stood up, wanting to see for himself.

"It's really nothing." Deeks tried again

"You might be a damn good undercover, Deeks, but you're not nearly as good at lying to your friends." _Not anymore_, Callen added to himself.

Reaching the window, Callen's reaction mirrored his friend's as he noticed how much the storm had intensified. Snow wasn't falling as much anymore, but it had seemingly been replaced by wind gusts that threatened to topple the trees surrounding the small cabin. "I hope they are close to returning." Callen said to no one in particular.

Deeks nodded, his own worry for Sam and Eric already making itself known through the empty feeling in his stomach. He was glad the two of them were inside, but a part of him also wished he was out there where he could help his friends. The safety of the cabin wasn't good enough when Sam and Eric were still out in the open.

"Ok, let's just calm down and wait. We will give them a few minutes and if they are not back, we will go look for them." Callen explained, trying as hard as he could to sound like a team leader.

Deeks wanted to point out that Callen was in no shape to go searching for anyone, but instead, he just nodded his agreement. Deeks knew he wasn't in a considerably better state, but at least he could still walk.

Just as Deeks had turned to follow Callen back towards the table and their game, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

The next few minutes passed seemingly in slow motion, with Deeks reacting instinctively as a particularly nasty wind gust hit one of the trees, breaking down two huge branches that came down into the window and the front of the house. In the brief moment between the branches breaking and reaching the house, Deeks led out a scream and managed to push Callen out of the way. The agent falling hard towards the dining table, which broke instantly, letting Callen fall onto the ground.

xxxxx

"Storm seems to be getting worse." Eric said nervously, having noticed the diminishing snowfall, but also the wind gusts that had picked up.

"Yes, you're right." Sam agreed, just as he expertly dodged a pine cone that fell down from a tree. "Let's hurry."

Eric stared back the way they had come, wishing they could just turn around and head back to the cabin. But he knew they still needed wood, especially if the storm was getting worse.

Soon enough, they reached the side of the lake where the previous day everything had gone wrong and they ran to grab the pieces of perfect wood that laid discarded on the ground. Sam had considered searching closer to the cabin, but he knew Callen and Deeks had already taken the time to select good pieces, so he preferred not to work double.

As Sam reached down to grab the wood, his eyes landed on a small crimson spot that matted the otherwise white ground. The wind must have blown away the soft snow that had covered that icy, red spot. Silently, Sam wondered if it was Deeks' or Callen's, his thoughts going back to that awful moment when he had stood momentarily frozen as two bears encircled his teammates. Maybe it had been better if he had stayed frozen in place, then Callen wouldn't have been shot. Knowing that this way of thinking was getting him nowhere, Sam shook his head as he forced the thoughts away. Callen and Deeks had been out of options and his actions had saved their lives. That's all that mattered.

"Ready?" Sam asked Eric, after the younger man had his arms full. Seeing Eric nod, he finished grabbing as many pieces as he could, before leading them back towards the cabin. The sight of the blood had set his nerves back on edge, and he knew the sooner they got back to the cabin, the better he would feel.

xxxxx

Callen wasn't sure what had just happened. One moment, he was moving back towards the table, the other he was being pushed away as a loud crash sounded behind him and then under him.

Groaning, Callen felt the sharp pain return to his leg with a vengeance, just as his back protested in pain. He could feel his breathing beginning to come in ragged as the ache in his back intensified, making it hard for air to move throughout his body._ Not again_, he thought to himself, remembering the mission in Mexico and the desperate feeling of not being able to draw air into his lungs. Not being able to breathe was not the best way to go.

Taking as deep a breath as he could, Callen tried to calm down his increasing panic, just as his mind tried to comprehend what had happened. His answer came crashing down on him as he tried to search for Deeks, instead finding two branches, more the size of a small trunk, that had broken the window and destroyed the front left-side of the cabin. What had once been a steady structure, was now just a broken pile of wood. But, more terrifying of it all was the sight of his teammate. Callen's eyes finally settling on the blonde mop of hair that laid unmoving under the two branches and partially covered by broken shards of wood and glass. That's when he recalled the echo of a scream, and the realization that Deeks had alerted him and pushed him out of the way slowly dawned on him.

Seeing Deeks for the first time, Callen wanted desperately to stand up and get to him. But he felt pinned down by an invisible force, not able to stand up or move more than his limbs. Focusing on himself instead, Callen could feel a crushing pain on his back and chest, just as he thought he felt a damp spot on his shirt. But he downplayed it, thinking, or rather hoping, that it was only his imagination.

Shivering, Callen suddenly realized the cold air from outside was now rushing inside the cabin, and he felt his panic increase. Hands going to his throat, his world began closing down on him as air became even more scarce. And, just before he was pushed down into the darkness, his last thought was whether the chill spreading through his body was a result of the change in temperature or his body going into shock.

xxxxx

The walk back to the cabin was less peaceful than the one towards the lake. Sam and Eric constantly dodging falling pine cones and small shards of wood. Both men feeling the wind cut into their skin as their full hands made it impossible for them to shield their faces.

Eric was sure Sam was more than used to handling adverse weather, but he had spent most of his life behind a screen, so he felt his fears increasing as the storm continued to rage above them. His throat dry and nostrils flaring as the chill in the air burned through.

For his part, Sam continued to take quick glances at Eric. Noticing how hard it was for the smaller man to push his way forward. If it weren't for Callen and Deeks, he would have tried to find shelter and wait for the storm to slow down. But he would feel much better about their chances if all four of them were together again.

Finally reaching the cabin, Sam blew out a relieved breath. That is, until they rounded the corner, coming face-to-face with what once had been the front of the house. The left side of the wall was now gone, shards of wood littering the ground both outside and, he assumed, also inside the cabin.

Dropping the wood to the ground, Sam ran towards the cabin but stopped in his tracks as he noticed a big piece of wood blocking the front door. Turning desperately to where the window had been, he climbed over the piece of tree and tried looking inside.

Sam's sight first landed on his partner, whose eyes kept blinking closed and back opened, as his hands held tightly to his throat. Seeing no obvious injury but the broken table below him, Sam wasn't sure if Callen was really choking or maybe he was just experiencing a panic attack.

Not being able to fully see Deeks, Sam got back down and ran to the other side of the cabin, reaching the side that was unharmed. From this window he could see Deeks' body on the ground under the rubble of the broken wall, pieces of wood and glass covering him, along with leaves and pine cones from the trees.

Staring at the chaos in front of him, Sam drew a trembling hand down his face. He couldn't think this trip could get any worse, but he had just been proven very, very wrong. He knew he shouldn't have left Callen and Deeks unsupervised.

xxxxx

_Thanks for reading and apologies for the cliffhanger, but we will be back soon!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Hi everyone, first off, we hope everyone is managing to stay safe during these crazy times our world is living, and we hope we can provide some small distraction with our words. We also want to apologize for not updating sooner after the cliffhanger in the last chapter, but sometimes real life gets in the way, even though we'd both rather be writing. Thanks for reading and continuing to share your thoughts with us, we really appreciate the support and hope you continue to enjoy the story._

_Jess._

xxxxx

Knowing that unlike Sam, he didn't have much to offer to help their teammates, Eric continued to walk all the way back towards the cabin and gingerly lowered the wood onto the ground, before going back to where Sam had dropped his pieces, and quietly picking them up. With smaller arms, it took Eric two trips, but at least he felt that he was being helpful in his own little way.

Sighing sadly, Eric sat down in the front steps of the cabin. He wished they were in a situation where technology would be useful or rather that he had been the one injured, as Callen and Deeks would be a lot more helpful in this situation. He also wished Nell was here, and Kensi too, because they would be able to keep a clear mind and only freak out after their teammates were safe. But he was different, he was the best at what he did, but only average when it came to real life. Or at least that's what he thought, even if he had been told otherwise many, many times.

"Eric come and help me." Sam's commanding voice sounded from behind, drawing Eric back to the present and away from his own self-deprecating thoughts.

"Yeah?" Eric asked softly, his eyes going wide as he took in the extent of the damage for the first time. The cabin wasn't really a cabin anymore, it was just a square of wood that offered no shelter or protection to those that inhabited it. So, even if they could somehow get to Callen and Deeks and even if by the grace of some unknown power they were still okay, it was very likely that all four of them would freeze to death once nighttime came.

"Eric!" Sam's shout startled the young tech, who realized that he had missed everything his teammate had just said. "Eric, please. I know it's hard. I'm sorry about all of these, but please, I need your help. It's just the two of us now." Sam continued in a much compassionate tone, but his desperation still visible in the frown between his eyebrows and the way he impatiently tapped his fingers against his leg.

"Okay, sorry." Eric mumbled, shaking his head and trying to gain some courage. "What do you need me to do, Sam?"

Sam visibly relaxed then, he wasn't alone anymore, and he knew together, he and Eric could get Callen and Deeks the help they needed. "I need help cutting the branch that's blocking the door."

Eric nodded in agreement and walked towards that side of the house. Seeing the damage that had been done inside for the first time, his eyes went even wider than before and his breath caught in his throat. The snow was bad enough and the bear incident even worse, but at least this cabin had been a small piece of heaven in between all the nature that seemed obsessed with messing with them. But now that was gone too, and they were truly at the mercy of nature. Right now, he thought he'd rather take their chances against some bad guys, because at least those have a conscience and the ability to reason, even if they not always acted in their favor. But the elements cared about no one, they just destroyed everything in their path.

"You good?" Sam asked, as he came to join his teammate, a hatchet in one hand and an axe in the other.

"No." Eric said simply. "But I will be. Right now, we just gotta get to them." Fixing his eyes on Callen and Deeks, Eric noticed for the first time how still they looked and his need to help them only increased.

Sam nodded, the emotion in his eyes saying all that his words couldn't. Then he signaled for Eric to take a step back before grabbing the axe with both hands and beginning to cut the branches away.

Remembering his conversation with Nell when he was packing, Eric smiled briefly before he grabbed the hatchet and began to help Sam with the smaller pieces. Maybe he wasn't as strong as the ex-Seal and his mind was his greatest asset, but his heart was much bigger than his body and he would do everything in his power to help them all get back to safety.

xxxxx

After making a concerted effort, Callen was finally able to get his breathing back under control. His eyes settled on Deeks once again and he couldn't help but be concerned about the other man's stillness. "Dee...eeks?" he croaked hoarsely. He cleared his throat and tried again, speaking more loudly and clearly the second time. "Deeks?! Deeks please, can you hear me?" He swallowed hard in dismay when his friend didn't move or respond in any way to his voice. "Damn it."

Realizing he needed to try to get to Deeks, Callen took a deep breath and made an attempt to sit up. It didn't go well. He had barely moved at all when a knife-like pain tore through his back, causing him to gasp in pain. Inadvertent tears came to his eyes which he quickly swiped away with the back of his hand. Taking another deep breath, he then tried to shift his position, hoping to ease the pain, but that only made things worse as another jolt of pain shot through him. He groaned and then realized that he couldn't seem to stop shivering. His hands and feet felt like blocks of ice. The more he thought about the cold, the worse it seemed to get. He could see blankets over near where Deeks was, but it was impossible to get to them. This really sucked. He knew he somehow needed to get to Deeks, but he had no idea how to accomplish that. He had no idea if he was even alive. The longer his friend laid there, still and unmoving, the more ominous everything seemed.

"We never should have come on this damn trip," he said to himself, his blue eyes filled with pain and despair. He couldn't help but wonder if any of them were going to get out of this situation alive.

xxxxx

Deeks opened his eyes to see Kensi straddling his lap, one hand running down his hair as the other moved to unbuckle his belt.

"I love you." Kensi said sweetly.

"Hmm." Eyes closed, Deeks pushed forward, his lips finding Kensi's. "Love you, too." He finally said when air became scarce, forcing them to part ways.

Hands now moving to Kensi's top, Deeks was lost in the woman that he loved more than life itself until an annoying, continuous thump began to echo in their room. "Too early for the neighbors to be hammering." Deeks whined in frustration.

"Don't worry about that. Just focus on me, baby." As if to emphasize her point, Kensi pulled Deeks close and kissed him senseless once again.

"I think that can be arranged." Deeks chuckled, pushing Kensi away from him and rolling her onto her back so he could now straddle her. But as he tried to get up, his arms and legs felt heavy and for the first time he noticed the pounding headache. The throbbing on his head seemingly following the thud of the hammer beat by beat.

"Kens, I don't feel so good."

"Deeks." The pained reply surprised him, but even more that the voice wasn't Kensi's but Callen. "Deeks." It came again, louder this time. It was no longer a calling, but a plea.

"Kens, what's Callen doing in our room?" Deeks questioned, confused. Then he closed his eyes as the pain intensified and the annoying thud of the hammer seemed to be getting closer. "Kensi?"

Running a nervous hand through his hair, Deeks was surprised to feel his skin sticky. But it wasn't the familiar feeling of sweat, but still a familiar feeling, nonetheless. Opening his eyes, he gasped as his fingers came back red. But promptly closed them once again as the light in the room sent a stab of pain to his head.

Trying again to lift himself from the bed, Deeks began to gingerly struggle against the invisible force pinning him down. But soon his movements became more frantic as Callen continued to call his name, and the annoying sound kept echoing around him.

"Callen?" He asked again, wanting to know where Kensi had gone and why she wasn't talking to him.

Slightly opening his eyes again, Deeks was surprised that he was no longer in his bedroom. The room had morphed into the remains of a cabin and Deeks found himself lying on the ground, pinned down by a tree and not an invisible hand.

xxxxx

"Callen?"

Callen's eyes shut open at the voice he most longed to hear. But wanting to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, he waited to see if any more sounds followed. No other words came, but he could send movement, so tentatively, he tried. "Deeks?"

"Callen? What's going on? I was in bed with Kensi but now I'm suddenly here." Deeks questioned softly, his voice pained even as he tried to mask it.

"You don't remember?" Callen asked, concerned. At the lack of an answer, he continued. "A tree fell on the cabin. The cabin we have been staying with Sam and Eric for the last few days."

"Ok" Deeks said simply. But then he remembered Callen's question. "It's all just a lot of jumbled thoughts. I don't know what's real and what's not." He admitted.

"Did you..." Callen's question was cut short by a loud thud coming from outside. One that was noticeably louder than all the previous ones.

"Guys, are you okay?" Sam's voice came from outside the cabin. Hearing his partner, Callen breathed a sigh of relief, now feeling a little bit better about their chances.

"Yes." Callen said instantly, even if he knew that probably wasn't true. But at least his breathing had calmed down now that Deeks was awake and Sam had come back.

"Deeks?" Sam prompted, knowing that Callen was probably downplaying any injuries but still grateful to hear his voice.

But no answer came.

"Callen can you get to Deeks?" Sam wondered as he tried to push some branches to see if he could squeeze inside. But seeing that was impossible, he instead tried to climb the fallen tree so he could get a better look inside.

xxxxx

Deeks' brain was a foggy mess of memories that he couldn't place. He wasn't sure what was real and what was just a figment of his imagination. So, he tried to focus on the senior partners' voices instead.

Eyes fluttering open and shut, Deeks tried to think past the pain in his head but he could barely make out his teammates' words. Then Sam's head popped up in the open space of the broken cabin that had previously been occupied by the blue sky.

"Deeks? Are you okay?" The words barely reached him, and he nodded, but that made the pain worse, so he gingerly lifted a hand and gave Sam a thumbs up. The action looking childish and insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Wanting to say more, Deeks tried opening his mouth, but his throat felt too dry to form any words. He wished he had some water.

"Can you move your arms and legs? Same question for you, Callen." Sam asked.

"Yes." Callen said simply, not wanting to get into how much his back hurt or the fact his breathing was beginning to come in ragged again.

Seeing Sam's expectant look, Deeks tried to move his other hand and legs. Relieved flooding him instantly when all of his limbs followed his command.

"Good." Sam said, trying to sound encouraging. "I will get down and continue cutting away the tree that's blocking the door. Just hang in there a little while longer."

_Not a hammer but an axe._ Understanding dawned on Deeks' eyes after hearing Sam's words and he smiled slightly because at least one thing made sense now. "I thought someone was hammering next to my house." He said, finally finding his voice.

"We are almost done." Sam promised, trying not to pay too much attention to the fact that at some point Deeks hadn't known where he was.

"Sam." Deeks spoke again before Sam had time to step away, desperation evident in his tone as his eyes stared pleadingly at his teammate. "I don't feel so good." An echo of his dream but this time reality and not a hallucination of his injured brain.

The uncharacteristic honesty worried Sam, as both of Deeks' hands went to his head and his eyes closed.

"Deeks." No answer or recognition from his younger teammate, but taking a closer look at him, Sam could see blood matting his hair and the side of his face. "Deeks!" Sam tried harder

Deeks eyes finally opened again and he stared back at Sam with pained-filled blue eyes. His head hurt and he just wanted to sleep.

"Did you hit your head?" Sam asked, remembering the mission in Mexico and Deeks' TBI.

"I don't know." Deeks shrugged. "Probably, cause it hurts like hell." Then his eyes closed again, and they didn't open no matter how much Sam called and begged.

xxxxx

"Deeks! Please." Sam continued his plea. "If you have a concussion you shouldn't be sleeping." He tried to reason, as if unconscious men were any good at that.

"Sam." Callen called from his spot on the ground. "Get back to cutting the tree. That's the best way to help us." He added softly. If it wasn't for his and Deeks' condition, he would suggest getting out through the window, but right now that didn't seem like a smart choice. And he assumed Sam had already reached the same conclusion.

"Are you really okay, G? Why aren't you getting up?"

"My back hurts." Callen said honestly. "And before, I had trouble breathing. I don't want to aggravate anything."

Sam closed his eyes and cursed at another unwanted memory of the mission in Mexico. Both senior partners recalling how Callen's desire to help and, subsequent, tumble down a hill had worsened his injuries until it almost killed him.

"Good. Just stay put, G. We will get you both out." Taking a final look at his partner and Deeks' unmoving form, Sam carefully lowered himself back to the ground.

Grabbing back the axe, he began cutting away the final branches so they could open the door.

xxxxx

"Deeks?" Callen tried calling. He could hear Sam and Eric working outside and not being one to just wait, he tried to help in the only way he could. "Marty, please wake up." He tried more desperately, hoping the uncharacteristic name would make Deeks wake up, even if only to tell him to shut up and never call him that again. But nothing happened.

For the next few minutes, Callen continued to lay helplessly on the ground. The pain on his back now echoing into his chest as the agent just tried focusing on keeping his breathing slow and steady.

"Who keeps hammering? I just want to sleep." Deeks' voice came again and Callen winced, fearing that Deeks' injury was worse than they had originally thought. Even if this time, unlike Mexico, he was managing to be awake for a brief time. But sadly, only short moments at a time.

"No one's hammering, Deeks." He explained gently, trying to keep his voice low, even as the loud thuds kept coming from outside. "It's just Sam and Eric cutting away the tree, remember?"

"Yeah, right." Deeks whispered, not sounding convinced.

"Can you stay awake for me, Deeks?" Callen asked quickly, sensing Deeks was getting close to unconsciousness again. "Please."

"Why? Head hurts... need sleep." Deeks mumbled.

"If you hit your head, then sleep is bad, Deeks. I know it's hard, but please try to stay awake." Callen pleaded.

"Okay... I..."

"And he's out again." Callen said to no one in particular, hating the situation as much as not being able to help make it better for his friends.

xxxxx

"Okay, this is enough." Sam said, throwing the axe back to the ground and using all of his body's strength to push away the last remaining piece of wood. Sensing a presence beside him, he turned around to see Eric pushing alongside him and mouthed a quiet thank you.

Slowly, the wood began to give in, and it slid over the snow until it was no longer blocking the door. Both Sam and Eric then collapsed into the snow, panting at the combined exhaustion of cutting the branches and pushing the trunk.

"Now we can finally help them." Eric whispered.

"We sure can." Sam got up and held his hand for Eric, before they opened the door and rushed inside the cabin.

xxxxx

_We're sorry this chapter is not as long as we would have liked and we know this doesn't fully solve the cliffhanger from the last one, but we still wanted to update and get something out as we continue to work on the next chapter._

_Thanks for reading and supporting our story. Everyone be safe and take care!_


	11. Chapter 11

There weren't many times when Eric remembered seeing Sam overwhelmed but that's the only word he could use to describe his teammate the moment they rushed into the cabin. His eyes moving from Deeks to Callen as he debated within himself who to help first.

"What can I do?" Eric asked softly, wanting to ease some of Sam's worry and not force him to make an impossible choice.

Eric word's drew Sam away from his own desperate thoughts, as he shook his head and went right to work. "Check on Deeks, first his pulse, then let me know if there's any more blood or reason for worry. And try to wake him up."

Eric nodded, seeing Sam run to the kitchen, grabbing the first aid kit and then kneeling in front of his partner.

Drawing in a slow breath, Eric walked towards Deeks, taking a long look at his friend, then doing his best not to panic when he saw the detective's left arm. "Sam." He eventually called in a shaky voice. "We have a problem."

Sam turned around, eyes asking the question he didn't dare voice. His thoughts already on worst case scenarios as he wondered if maybe Eric hadn't found a pulse. But then again, he didn't think Eric would sound this calm if that was the case.

"I... I think one of the branches might be..." Eric trailed off, failing to find the words to describe what he thought he was seeing.

xxxxx

"It's good to see you, big man." Callen whispered as soon as his partner kneeled down in front of him.

"It's good to see you too, G." Sam said emotionally, the minutes he had been stuck outside while his partner suffered alone, inside, having almost killed him. "Now, be honest with me. What should I treat first? How's the leg?"

"Leg's fine." Callen began to say. "Ok, maybe not fine. But it doesn't hurt as much anymore." He amended after seeing his partner's raised eyebrows.

Sam knew it wasn't fine as he could see blood had started to sip through the bandage but, at the moment, he thought Callen's ribs and lung were a more pressing concern. But before he could get to work, Eric's soft words drew his attention to the other side of the cabin.

Sam then waited expectantly for Eric's explanation. But seeing that no came, he decided to look for himself instead. "I'll be right back." He told his partner, then got up to find out what else had gone to hell.

"Damn it." Sam muttered as soon as his eyes followed what Eric was seeing.

"What's wrong?" Callen asked from his spot, still unmoving on the floor.

"A branch is... stuck in his arm." Sam tried to explain.

"Stuck as in inside his arm?" Callen cringed.

"Yeah..." Sam drew a hand down his face, trying to keep his emotions under control.

"What's wrong?" Of course, Deeks would choose that unfortunate moment to regain consciousness.

"Nice to see you awake." Sam welcomed. "And nothing's wrong."

"I know you, Sam Dawg." Deeks chuckled. "How dead am I?"

"Deeks..." Sam grumbled. "You are not dead and nobody's dying. It's just a branch a little too close to your arm." He explained vaguely.

"Oh, just that then." Deeks shrugged.

"You knew?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Of course I did, Sam. It's in my arm. But don't worry it's the same arm the bear almost bit off." He tried to joke.

"Not funny, Deeks." Eric whispered.

"Sorry." Deeks said sheepishly. "So, what now?"

"I get you both out of here." Sam said, although he sounded more doubtful than any of them had wanted.

"I can help too." Eric reminded.

"Go help Callen." Deeks directed. "I can wait." He hoped that was true, but more than anything he knew he couldn't ask Sam to choose him over his partner. In the last years working together, they had gotten closer to each other, but Deeks knew his place. And he would always be second when it came to the longstanding senior partnership.

Sam hesitated, needing to make sure Callen was really okay, but not wanting to abandon Deeks either. Not even for the time being.

"Go." Eric pushed. "I'll stay with him."

Sam nodded doubtfully and went back to work on his partner. "Okay, G. I will take a look at your abdomen. Let me know when it hurts."

"You know this doesn't work if you don't tell me when it hurts, right?" Sam prompted after Callen had groaned a few times, but never outwardly complained.

"There... and there." Callen opened up. Knowing that holding out on Sam was only taking valuable minutes away from taking care of Deeks.

"Ok. I think you have two, possibly three, cracked ribs. And you know those hurt like hell, so that's probably why you had trouble breathing. But I don't see any signs of a collapsed lung or anything like that." Sam explained, as he grabbed a fresh bandage and antiseptic and moved to Callen's leg.

When he was done with that, Sam rummaged in the bag until he found some menthol cream. Putting a healthy dose over the now visible bruises in the skin over Callen's ribs. Then he wrapped a bandage to hopefully slow down any swelling and keep the ribs in place. "That table sure did a number on you, buddy."

"It wasn't just the table, but the force I hit it with." Callen explained. At Sam's questioning look, he continued. "Deeks saw the tree coming down first and he pushed me out of the way. So I hit the table with a lot more force than if I had just bumped into it."

Sam closed his eyes, releasing a long breath. As if he needed any more reasons to feel guilty about delaying Deeks' care.

"Go help him, I'm okay now." Callen said, always able to read him like a book.

"I won't leave you on the floor, G." Sam said, pushing himself off the ground and holding out his hand for Callen to take. "Let me get you to the cot, then I can do that."

Callen nodded, not only needing to alleviate his partner's anguish, but also wanting the semi-comfort of the cot and some blankets over the chill and hardness of the floor.

xxxxx

"I'm sorry about all of this." Eric whispered, as soon as Sam had moved to take care of Callen.

"Not your fault, Beale." Deeks said sincerely.

"Maybe I should have stayed here when Sam went to look for the wood." Eric continued sadly.

"And do what, man?" Deeks tried to reassure, but seeing a look of hurt cross Eric's eyes, he amended. "There was nothing any of us could do. I'm glad you weren't here, so you didn't get hurt too."

"Thank you." Eric said, even if he still felt like the squeaky, faulty wheel in this wagon.

The conversation died down after that as Eric continued to keep a watchful eye over his teammate. The pain in his blue eyes making Eric's own insides hurt.

"And you did something." Eric spoke again after seeing Deeks' eyes were beginning to close. He longed to just let his friend sleep and escape the pain, but he knew he shouldn't. "I heard you pushed Callen out of the way."

"Yeah..." Deeks mumbled, his eyes closing and his head lulling to the side.

"Sam!" Eric shouted, moving a hand instantly to Deeks' wrist and sighing in relief when he felt a pulse.

"Come help me here." Sam asked, prompting Eric to rush to the senior partners' side to finish getting Callen to the cot.

It took about a minute of curses and groans, but soon enough Callen was in the coat, a warm blanket comfortably over him as his eyes began to flutter shut. "Take these first." Sam directed, giving him a bottle of water and two pain pills.

"Thank you." Callen mumbled, taking the offered pain killers and downing half the bottle of water before almost letting the other half fall to the ground. His watch was over and Sam and Eric could help Deeks now. So, closing his eyes, he finally allowed his mind to let go and his battered body to rest.

xxxxx

"Deeks? Hey, Deeks, can you wake up for me?" Sam prompted gently when he came to kneel down in front of his other injured friend.

"Sam?" Deeks barely opened his eyes, his voice coming in so soft that Sam barely heard it. "Need sleep... hurts."

"I know, brother. And I'm sorry. But I need to know exactly what hurts." Sam encouraged, trying to leave his usual authoritative tone out and just focusing on being a friend as much as a caregiver.

"Head, hurts." Deeks whispered, his eyes fluttering shut.

"Deeks. Deeks! Stay awake, please."

"Okay, 'll try, Sam Dawg." Deeks promised, a faint, tired smile gracing his lips.

Reaching for the first aid kit, Sam poured antiseptic on a gauze pad and gently began cleaning the cuts on Deeks' face. "I'm sorry." He apologized as soon as Deeks hissed upon the sting of the antiseptic.

"It's okay, Sam. You're just trying to help." Deeks said softly, trying to keep the hisses and groans to a minimum as Sam continued cleaning the cuts on his face and arms.

"Okay, I need to take the branch out. Normally I wouldn't advise this, but we don't know when we can go home, and the branch is small. I believe this is our best chance now." Sam explained, preparing himself to cause his friend even more pain.

"Sam, just do what you gotta do, I trust you." Deeks said, the sincerity of his tone shining in his eyes as much as the pain.

"It will hurt, Deeks."

"I trust you, Sam." Deeks repeated his words. And either way, he didn't think he could feel any more pain than what his head was currently experiencing. But he didn't think it would do Sam any good to hear that, so he kept the thought to himself.

"Thank you." Sam said honestly, thinking that they had come a long way. Then without warning he ripped the bandaid, or rather, yanked the branch out of Deeks' arm. The detective screamed but thankfully lost consciousness just after.

"Should I wake him up?" Eric wondered.

"Not now, Eric. He needs a little rest." Sam said softly. "Just keep an eye on his breathing and continue checking his pulse every few minutes."

With Deeks unconscious again, Sam could better take care of his wounds. Cleaning and re-stitching his arm and clearing the blood from Deeks' head. Then putting antiseptic and antibiotic cream in the cuts and wrapping fresh bandages around both wounds. Sighing in relief when the white cloth only got partially matted with blood.

"Okay. I think we're good for now. Thank you." Sam told Eric.

Eric nodded, even though he didn't feel particularly helpful but still appreciative of Sam's words.

Sam recognized the shadow of doubt that crossed Eric's face but didn't say anything else. But seeing Eric quietly move to the room to grab a pillow to put under Deeks' head, Sam thought that his friend didn't know just how good a man he was.

xxxxx

For the next half hour, Sam and Eric continued to keep a watchful eye over their injured teammates. Knowing that for Deeks, especially, sleep wasn't good, but still wanting to allow him to escape from the pain he was feeling for at least a little while.

"What are we going to do tonight, Sam?" Eric asked after the silence had begun to unnerve him.

"We still have the tents. I can create some makeshift protection for the cabin to shield us against the cold." Sam explained, having already spent the last half hour silently debating how to go about that.

"Ok, good. Let me know how I can help."

"I will."

Then silence fell over the cabin once again.

xxxxx

"Time to wake Deeks up." Sam spoke after a while, dreading having to bring his friend back out of the comfort that sleep was giving him.

"I can do it, Sam." Eric offered, shooting Sam a shy smile when the senior team nodded gratefully.

"Deeks. Deeks, please wake up." Eric said, moving his hand to Deeks' right shoulder and carefully shaking him.

"Hmm?" Deeks started stirring, but then groaned as his injured arm bumped against something. "Where's Kensi?" He asked when his eyes finally opened.

"Kensi's not here. She's with Nell." Eric explained, not really sure if their ladies were in fact together but assuming as much.

"Working a case? Who's having their backs?" Deeks wondered.

"Deeks, no one is working a case. We're in the cabin, remember? Just you, me and Eric and Callen. Kensi and Nell are safely back in LA." Sam explained, having heard the exchange and deciding it was time to interfere.

"Yes, right. Sorry" Deeks shook his head, the action again bringing him a stab of pain. The movement also having the unintended consequence of riding Deeks' head off some of the confusion that plagued it, his eyes looking more aware and present than before.

"Are you hungry?" Sam asked, knowing that it had been a long while since breakfast and thinking that it might be good to get some food in his teammates' stomachs before getting on the task of cold-proofing the house.

"Not sure about him, but I sure am." Callen answered instead from his cot. His characteristic smirk back on his face, even as his features showed that he was still in pain.

"Okay. I will get on that. But, first, can you give me a hand so we can help Deeks get on his cot?" Sam asked, looking at Eric.

Eric nodded and together they helped Deeks get up the ground and into the cot, then as they had done with Callen, they covered him with some warm blankets. "This should be more comfortable than the floor. Sorry we don't have a real bed." Sam said, hovering over Deeks and trying to fluff his pillow to make it more comfortable.

"Sam, I'm okay. You know I've survived worse." Deeks tried to reassure everyone and also himself. "At least now I'm in the company of family and not in the hands of some psychos." He added darkly, thinking of Russians, Serbians, Mexicans and many others.

That comment sobered everyone more than a little because even if the situation was still dire, at least they were together.

Another half hour later food was ready, and the four teammates gathered around the cots to eat in silence. The dinner room table was no more so the floor and cots would have to do.

Unlike the previous nights, friendly banter didn't accompany this meal. All four men, instead, lost in their own insecurities and fears, until Callen decided to address the huge elephant in the room. "So... you did a great job patching us up, partner. And I'd hate to ruin your handy work, but if we don't do something about that." He said, pointing at the hole in the side and roof of the cabin. "We're going to freeze to death tonight."

"I will get us some makeshift cover for tonight, then tomorrow we can go about looking for help. Luckily the snow seems to have stopped." Sam explained, grateful that finally something seemed to be going their way.

"Okay." Callen wasn't sure how much warmth Sam could manage, and he wasn't looking forward to sleeping being spooned by his partner, but he didn't want to pile any more pressure on Sam.

"I might have an idea." Deeks said softly, his eyes closed, and the plate of food discarded to the side.

All eyes turned expectantly at him, but seeing no response or recognition, Sam scratched his throat loudly to call Deeks' attention back to them.

"Oh, sorry." He mumbled, seeing all eyes on him. "When I went to look for the wood the other day, I noticed another cabin on the other side of the trees. I'd say we could ask for help but it seemed pretty empty so maybe we can make ourselves at home there?" Deeks proposed.

"So, you're suggesting breaking and entering?" Sam wondered.

"Not the best look on a cop." Callen added with a smirk.

"I see it more as life or death, you know. Nothing against your survival skills, Sam, but I'd feel better about our chances if we had a nice roof over our heads." Deeks explained. "And, I think we can ask for forgiveness later, since it's not like we can ask for permission now." He added with a twinkle in his eye. Some small part of the old Deeks managing to shine through the pain he was feeling.

"Anyone opposed to that?" Sam asked, his serious demeanor back on track.

Callen and Eric shook their heads, both preferring the warmth of a cabin over their desire to stay on the good side of the law.

"Then, it's decided." Sam spoke in his usual commanding tone. "And if we get in trouble, I can pay the owner later for any damages to his cabin. Same with this one." Eyes naturally going to the side the tree had broken.

"Sam, money doesn't matter." Deeks said instantly.

"We will all contribute." Eric joined in.

"Not like you willed the tree to fall on the house or the sky to keep raining snow. Regardless of how much you want to believe you really are Father Nature." Callen added chuckling.

"Very funny." Sam said, rolling his eyes. "But thanks, guys. I appreciate it." He laughed in spite of himself, with Callen and Deeks following soon after. Callen's comment having successfully lightened the mood.

"Now what?" Eric inquired, when everyone had sobered up.

"We figure out a way to get all of us into that cabin without any more injuries." Sam responded, looking pointedly at Callen and Deeks.

xxxxx

"Okay, I think the first thing is to get these two over to the cabin," Sam said quietly to Eric. "We'll see what's there as far as furniture and supplies go and then I can come back here to get whatever we need afterwards."

Eric nodded. "Okay, that sounds good."

"Deeks?" Sam asked loudly, noting that the detective was once again on the verge of dropping off. "How far is the cabin? Where exactly are we going?" He received no answer to his question and gently shook Deeks' shoulder. "Deeks?"

"Huh?" Deeks stared up at Sam, appearing confused. "You need something?"

"The cabin, Deeks," Sam said patiently. "How far is it and more importantly, where exactly are we going?"

"Cabin?" Deeks blinked in confusion as he looked around. "We're in the cabin."

Sam shook his head. "Not this cabin, Deeks. This one is broken, remember? You mentioned another cabin?"

"Ooooh," Deeks nodded as understanding finally appeared in his eyes. "It's outside."

Eric and Sam exchanged a look. This wasn't going too well.

"Where outside?" Sam asked, trying to keep his voice even and calm.

Deeks nodded as his eyes started to close.

"Deeks!" Sam shook his shoulder, a little rougher than the first time. "Deeks, come on man. The cabin. Where is it?"

"We're in the cabin, Sam," Deeks said.

"Okay...get some rest," Sam said as he looked at Eric. "It's going to be easier to find it myself than to try to get him to guide us in his condition. I'm guessing it can't be far. I'm going to go scout around. I won't be far. Just yell if you need me." He glanced at his partner who appeared to be asleep and sighed. "You going to be okay?"

Eric nodded. "I'll be fine, Sam and I'll call you if I need you."

Sam nodded. "I'll be back soon."

xxxxx

Callen shifted in his cot and hissed as pain shot through his ribs and back. This really sucked. His eyes opened and his gaze met Eric's who was looking at him sympathetically. "I'm alright, Eric."

"Can I get you anything?" Eric asked. "You warm enough?"

"I'm good," Callen lied easily. "Where's Sam?"

"He went to look for the cabin," Eric explained. "Do you need him? He said to call if we needed anything."

"No," Callen answered quickly, his eyes then going to Deeks. "How's Deeks doing?"

"He's kind of out of it," Eric said, appearing disheartened. "I don't think he's doing so good."

Callen sighed. This trip sure wasn't like anything they ever could have imagined. "He'll be okay," he said, needing to say it for his own sake as well as Eric's, even though he had absolutely no idea if that was the case or not.

A sudden gust of wind blew through the cabin. "Damn," Callen said, unsuccessfully trying to bury himself further underneath the covers. "It's freezing in here."

Eric raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, deciding that calling out Callen on his supposedly being warm enough just moments ago wouldn't be particularly smart on his part.

Callen moved again and inadvertently grimaced. This was hitting way too close to Mexico except that had been hot weather and sand whereas this was freezing cold weather and who knew how much snow. The only good thing this time was that they weren't being hunted down by maniacs trying to kill them. "Do you think you should wake Deeks up?" he asked.

Eric shook his head. "He fell back asleep right before you woke up. I don't need to wake him yet."

"Okay," Callen said, still appearing troubled but taking Eric at his word. "When do you think Sam will be back?"

"Right now," Sam said quickly coming in through the cabin's door and slamming it shut behind him. "The cabin is really close. I just didn't see it at first because I was going in the wrong direction. Even though the snow stopped, it's still really blowing and drifting out there."

"That sounds fun," Callen said unenthusiastically.

"It's the price we pay for warmth and a solid roof over our heads, buddy," Sam said. "We can stay here if you'd rather."

Callen didn't respond. Both men knew staying there was not an option.

"It'll be okay, G," Sam said with a smile. "It's not far and there's a nice reward once we get there. I already broke in and it seems like it might even be a bit nicer than this place."

"It's fine, Sam," Callen said. "Let's get this show on the road."

xxxxx

"Just take it slow and easy, Deeks," Sam urged encouragingly. "We're almost there." He'd been torn over who to help, Deeks or his partner, but had opted for Deeks, just in case he passed out and Sam needed to catch and carry him. He glanced over at Callen who seemed to be doing okay but his face showed obvious pain and Sam knew he was hiding his true feelings big time. "You hanging in there, G?"

"I'm fine, Sam," Callen said wearily. He was mostly just fighting an urge to sink into the white blanket of snow and fall asleep, but he knew that wasn't very clear thinking. His eyes brightened though when seemingly out of nowhere, the other, intact cabin appeared in front of them.

"Let's get inside," Sam instructed, practically dragging Deeks in through the front door. He helped him over to the couch and sat him down, then helped Callen as well, who appeared to be on the verge of collapsing. "Good job guys. We made it."

"Look, Sam. Firewood," Eric pointed at a good-sized stack of firewood next to the fireplace.

"That's perfect," Sam said, his sudden grin seeming to cover his face. It was one less thing he had to do. He then set to work building the fire and soon it was blazing and crackling merrily. He glanced over at the men on the couch and both Deeks and Callen appeared to be asleep. Eric was sitting on one of the four wooden chairs which he had dragged away from the table and placed next to the sofa so he could closely watch the two sleeping men.

"I'm going to make a trip back to the cabin and get our supplies," Sam said to Eric. "I'll just be a few minutes."

"I could go for you," Eric said. "It's not that much stuff, Sam."

Sam hesitated but then shook his head. "Thanks, Eric. I think it would be good for you to just stay here though. I won't be long."

Sam was in the process of putting his jacket back on when he heard a rhythmic chant. "Ooo - eeeee - hoo! Yooo - ho! Ooo - eeeee - hoo! Yooo - ho!"

"Deeks?"

"Ooo - eeeee - hoo! Yooo - ho! Ooo - eeeee - hoo! Yooo - ho!"

"Deeks? Are you okay?" Sam asked as he went and squatted next to the other man.

"It's the song pounding in my head, Sam-Dawg," Deeks said.

"Why does it sound familiar?" Sam asked, turning to Eric.

"It's the chant of the wicked witch's guards in The Wizard of Oz," Eric replied.

"Oh yeah," Sam recalled the song. "Deeks?"

"Kensi is Dorothy!" Deeks called out excitedly. "She would look so cute in the Dorothy dress, wouldn't she? I'm going to buy her one when we get home."

"Yes, she would," Sam said calmly. "Eric? I'm going to go grab the cots from the other room, watch them?"

"You've got it," Eric said.

Sam dragged one cot into the main room and then another one. "Deeks? Come on. Why don't you lie down over here?"

"You're the lion!" Deeks said. "Sam is the lion!"

"The Cowardly Lion?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, no. You're not a coward, but you are the lion."

"I hated the flying monkeys," Eric said. "They always scared me to death."

"The flying monkeys were evil," Deeks agreed. "No one liked them."

"So, can I be the scarecrow?" Eric asked, getting into the spirit of things.

Deeks considered that then sighed. "Well, Dorothy likes the scarecrow the best, so I have to be the scarecrow. But you can be scarecrow number two because you can dance."

"There isn't a scarecrow number two," Callen said grumpily. He had just awoken and the combination of his pain and what he considered to be a ridiculous conversation were taking their toll. "Eric is the tin man."

"That's where you're wrong!" Deeks shouted exuberantly. "You, my friend, Callen, are the tin man. You are stiff and sore and need some oil for your aches and pains. Sam! Get the oil can."

"Oh my God," Callen said, and closed his eyes, trying to block the conversation out of his head.

"Do the scarecrow dance, Eric!" Deeks said. "Dance man, dance!"

"Come on, Deeks. You need to lie down," Sam said as he reached for Deeks and finally got him to his feet. He then proceeded to half walk - half drag him over to one of the cots and finally got Deeks settled. "Get some rest." Sam covered Deeks with some warm blankets and finally Deeks closed his eyes.

"I really want Kensi-Dorothy," Deeks murmured, just before falling asleep.

"Yeah, I know you do," Sam said quietly. "I know you do." He turned away from Deeks and put his jacket back on. "Eric, I'm going to head back over and get our supplies. I'll be back in a few."

"Okay, Sam," Eric said, watching as the other man left the cabin, closing the door behind him.

True to his word, Sam got back very quickly and put their diminishing supplies away. He then went over and took on the couch next to his partner. Even though Callen's eyes were closed, he still appeared pale and tense. It was obvious to Sam that he was awake. "G? G, come on buddy. I know you're not sleeping."

Callen opened his eyes and looked back at Sam. "I'm fine, Sam."

"I know you're not," Sam said, feeling more than a little bit guilty that he had arranged this trip, which was now a total nightmare, and resulted in two of his best friends being hurt so badly.

"It's not like I'm going to die," Callen said. "You need to keep an eye on Deeks. Head injuries are serious."

"I'm worried about you too. I can tell you're in pain, G."

"I can take a little pain, Sam. Anyhow, it's not that bad."

Sam sighed, knowing they were just going to go around in circles if they continued the conversation. "Come on, let's get you into bed."

Callen nodded, not denying that he needed Sam's help. Leaning heavily on his partner, Callen managed to get over to the cot with a minimum of difficulty, doing an admirable job of hiding his pain.

"You need anything?" Sam asked, tucking the blankets around Callen.

"I'm good, Sam... thanks."

"Okay, get some sleep, then." Sam said quietly, sitting with Callen until his breathing evened out and Sam knew he was asleep. He then stood up and went into the other room, dragging the third cot back into the room for Eric.

"Thanks Sam," Eric said. "I could have gotten that."

"I know you could have," Sam said with a nod. "Just get some rest. Tomorrow, we need to figure some things out. We can't stay here indefinitely, and we can't count on anyone coming here to find us. We really need to get these two some medical attention."

Eric nodded. He knew Sam was right. They needed to get help and definitely sooner rather than later. "Are you sure you don't want the cot?" he asked.

Sam chuckled. "Are you kidding me? I'm likely to fall right through it."

"Okay...good night, Sam."

"Good night, Eric." Sam sat, watching over the little group of men for a long time, trying hard to think of the best solution to their problem. He woke Deeks twice, just making sure that he was still responsive. Both times, Deeks responded appropriately enough to his questions and was able to fall asleep quickly. Finally, unable to keep awake any longer. Sam too, fell asleep.

xxxxx

_Thanks everyone for reading and sharing this journey with us. We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy and wish you all a good and restful weekend._


	12. Chapter 12

_Hi everyone, first of all we want to thank everyone for the support of this story. We can't begin to tell you how much we appreciate it. Also, we're sorry we haven't updated as quickly as intended. The world is a crazy place these days and sometimes it's hard to be writing, no matter how much we'd like to. Also, we hope all of you are staying safe and healthy. Our thoughts are with each and every one of you and your loved ones._

xxxxx

Callen awoke shivering. He pulled the blankets tighter around him, trying to warm his body. The attempt was unsuccessful though. Sam had situated his cot closest to the fireplace and he hadn't protested despite a tiny inkling of guilt that he was somehow undeserving of that place. He looked at his co-workers in the room lit only by the fire in the fireplace. Everyone appeared to be peacefully sleeping which was good. He sighed softly and was suddenly aware that the pain in his leg had increased quite a bit since before he had fallen asleep. That wasn't good at all.

"G...I can hear your thoughts whirring around in that head of yours from over here."

Sam's whispered voice startled Callen slightly but he didn't let on. "How can you hear my thoughts? Have you developed some sort of new super mind reading ability?"

Sam came over to his partner and knelt down beside his cot. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, why? What makes you think anything is going on?" Callen asked unconvincingly.

Sam didn't answer but put his hand over Callen's forehead. "I think you may have a fever, buddy."

"I'm alright," Callen insisted. He didn't want to hear that he had a fever. It was much easier to ignore his symptoms and pretend everything was fine. "I just need to get some sleep. We both do."

"Is it your leg?" Sam questioned, unable to hide the look of guilt that flashed across his face.

Callen sighed, choosing not to lie but his silence pretty much answered Sam's question.

"I'd better take a look at it," Sam said.

"Just wait until morning," Callen said. "I don't want you having to wake everyone up."

"I need to wake Deeks up anyway, make sure he's doing okay," Sam said.

"And I'm not asleep," Eric piped up from his cot.

"See? No problem," Sam said, flashing a grim smile at his partner. "I'm going to check on Deeks and I'll be right with you."

Sam got to his feet and stepped over to where Deeks was sleeping soundly. He hated to awaken him, knowing that doing so would likely only serve to bring confusion and pain to the detective. "Deeks? Can you wake up for me?" Sam asked quietly. Deeks remained asleep though so he gently patted his shoulder. "Come on, brother. Wake up."

"Sam? What's up?" Deeks asked, finally managing to open his eyes partly and peer at Sam through his half open lids.

"Just checking to see how you're doing."

"I'm good, great, fantastico."

"Why don't you try a word I can believe."

Deeks shrugged. "I don't know what you want me to say, Sam. I have a headache." He really didn't think that saying he had construction workers pounding his head with giant sledgehammers would help anyone at the moment.

"How bad?"

"Can I go back to sleep now?" Deeks asked, ignoring the question entirely.

Sam stared at the younger man for a long moment then simply nodded. "Yeah, sure Deeks. You can go back to sleep." As he'd done with Callen, he had gotten the answer to his question simply by Deeks' refusal to answer him. "Do you want some ibuprofen?"

"No, I'm good," Deeks said, closing his eyes.

"Yeah, sure you are," Sam whispered. He sighed heavily then went back to Callen who appeared to be sleeping. "G?" Of course he didn't answer. Sam inwardly debated between allowing him to sleep undisturbed until morning or taking a look at his wound now. He had almost decided to let his partner remain asleep when Callen called out fretfully in his sleep. "Sam? Somebody help me. I can't get away."

"G? Wake up, buddy. You're okay."

"Sam? Where are we?" Callen asked, disoriented at first but quickly gaining his bearings. Cabin. Snow. Cold.

"We're in the cabin, remember?" Sam asked.

Callen nodded silently.

"I want to take a look at your leg."

"Can't it wait?"

Sam shook his head, his eyes filled with sympathy. "Sorry, I'm not really comfortable with that. It won't take long." He went and turned on the lantern then retrieved the first aid kit.

"Is there anything I can do?" Eric asked.

Sam shook his head. "Thanks, Eric. I think I'm fine. I'll let you know if I need you for anything."

Callen steeled himself as Sam lifted the covers away from him. He immediately started to shiver feeling as if a cold blast of air was attacking him. Sam quickly moved the blankets so they covered the top half of his friend. "Thanks."

"No problem." Sam carefully began to unwrap the dressing over Callen's wound, taking care not to hurt him anymore than necessary. He knew he wasn't being entirely successful though when Callen involuntarily hissed. "I'm sorry."

"I….I'm fine." Callen squeezed his eyes shut, wishing that Sam would just hurry up with cleaning and redressing the wound.

"This is going to hurt a bit," Sam said before he began his treatment of the bullet wound. It didn't look horrible, but it was definitely showing the beginnings of an infection, with the development of redness and some pus along the wound edges. Not what he wanted to see. They really needed a plan of action and sadly, he knew the options were very limited. "G? I'm done."

Callen let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and shot Sam a shaky smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Sam then dug around in the first aid kit and came up with what he had been searching for, a thermometer. He placed it into Callen's mouth and Callen, decided not to kick up a fuss though it was the last thing in the world he wanted. When the thermometer beeped Sam removed it and looked at the digital reading. "101.3."

"Could be worse," Callen said, actually relieved to hear it wasn't all that high. .

"Could be better." Sam knew the temperature in itself wasn't really too high, but with the circumstances and the start of an infection in Callen's leg, it gave him a high sense of foreboding.

"I'm sure you had a higher fever than that in Mexico," Callen retorted. "We just didn't have this handy dandy first aid kit to tell us every little thing."

"Really, G?" Sam asked, trying to keep his temper under control. "We're lucky to have this handy dandy first aid kit."

"Yeah, Sam...I know we are...I just...I think I've had enough of this little adventure now. We need to head back home...Deeks...Deeks needs to be in a hospital."

Sam gave Callen an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me? You're not going anywhere, G. There's no way you could make it out of here in your condition, nor could Deeks. Anyway, this is a discussion for tomorrow." He softened his tone, not wanting to be yelling at his friend. "Do you need anything?"

"Maybe some water."

Sam nodded as he went and got Callen's water bottle and brought it back to him. Callen took a couple of sips and Sam then placed the bottle on the floor right next to his cot. "It's right here if you want more, okay?"

"Okay, thanks Sam," Callen said with a nod. His eyelids were growing heavy now and he didn't even try to force them open any longer. "See you in the morning…"

"Goodnight, G…" Sam sat with his partner for a bit then went over to where his sleeping bag was on the floor. Sleep didn't come easily for him though. He knew that Callen was right. Both Deeks and Callen needed a hospital. Although the situation was not yet urgent, he could feel that time was not their friend. He couldn't help but think about their fight against time to save Michelle and what that tragic outcome had been. He couldn't let that happen again. They needed to get help quickly. More than anything, he needed for Callen and Deeks to be okay.

xxxxx

"Oh man…" Deeks' hand went to his head where the throbbing, intense pain was coming from. There, just above his forehead, under his tousled hair,, was a nice sized goose egg. No wonder he was hurting so badly. "This really sucks," he murmured.

"What sucks? Are you alright?" Sam's voice came unexpectedly out of the darkness.

"I'm good," Deeks replied automatically as he wondered if Sam ever really slept. The next thing he knew, the other man was beside his cot. "I really am good." His words didn't match his eyes though which were filled with pain.

Sam gently removed Deeks' hand from his head and placed his own hand there. His expression immediately turned to one of sympathy. "Ouch...that must be hurting you quite a bit. I'll get you some ibuprofen."

"I don't need it," Deeks said, but Sam ignored him and got the first aid kit. He handed Deeks some of the ibuprofen tablets and then his water bottle to wash them down.

While Deeks was taking the medicine, Sam rummaged through the first aid kit again and came up with a cold pack. He squeezed the edges shut which released the liquid inside and then shook the pack before handing it to Deeks. "I think this will help.

Deeks took the cold pack from Sam and gently placed it over his head. His facial features began to relax as the coldness immediately began to penetrate and dull the pain. "Oh, than you, Sam-Dawg. This is the best."

"You need anything else?" Sam asked.

Deeks shook his head. "No...this is more than enough. Thanks."

"Let me know if you need another one. We don't have a ton but hopefully they can give you some relief for a while anyway. I'm going to see if there's ice in the freezer." He should have thought of it sooner. In any case, ice was one thing they really didn't need to worry about. "Try to sleep, if you can."

Deeks nodded as he allowed his eyes to close. He was just happy to have the pain relieved for a bit. Next on his wish list was to just be home with Kensi, relaxing on the sofa, sharing a bowl of popcorn and watching some old movie on t.v. Somehow, he didn't think that was going to be as easy to achieve though.

xxxxx

After Deeks dropped off to sleep, Sam went over to the refrigerator and opened up the freezer. There he found two five pound bags of ice. There were also frozen waffles, a few single-serve entrees and a loaf of bread. "Nice," he said to himself as he took the loaf of bread and placed it on the countertop to defrost. That was something at least. He closed the freezer and walked back towards his sleeping bag, stopping by Callen's cot first. He gently placed his hand over his sleeping partner's forehead and found it still to be warm. "Don't worry, buddy. I'm going to get you and Deeks both some help really soon," he whispered. He then went back to his sleeping bag, but sleep was elusive and he was still awake as the sun rose and the inside of the cabin began to lighten.

xxxxx

"Morning Sam," Eric said as Sam got up from the floor and began to stretch his stiff muscles.

"Good morning, Eric. Did you sleep well?"

Eric shrugged. "On and off… I'm guessing you didn't get much rest."

"I'm fine," Sam stated. He was just exhausted. At times like these, he missed his wife more than he could have ever imagined. The thought that he would never be with her again still had the power to totally devastate him at a moment's notice. Once they got out of this situation, he was going to play visits to see both his children. Life was just too short.

Eric nodded, unconvinced. "So…"

Sam gave him a questioning look as he went over to the wooden table and sat on one of the chairs. "So what?"

"I'm going to leave soon."

"You're what?" Sam looked at Eric in confusion. "Where are you going?"

"To get help."

Sam stared back at Eric then slowly shook his head. "No, no you're not, Eric. I'm going to go get help. I know a lot more about survival in the elements than you do. I can go faster."

"I know all that, Sam," Eric stated, "but you also know a lot more about medicine in these conditions than I do. I don't trust myself to do the right thing if Callen or Deeks needs help. You need to be with them. You need to stay here. I can do it, Sam. You just tell me what I need to know and I'll get help. I do know how to read a compass. I won't let you down."

Sam sighed. What Eric was saying made sense, but he wasn't ready to agree to it yet. Somehow, sending Eric out into the wilderness on his own seemed like sending a lamb to the slaughter. "What about the bears?"

Eric's eyes widened. "Uh...I….well, hopefully I won't run into them."

"Let's have some breakfast while we think about this." Sam went over to their stash of food to see what they still had left.

"You think there's any more food here?" Eric asked as he went over to the cabinets. "Hey, Sam! There is food! Peanut butter, cookies, crackers and cereal!" He grabbed a box of Cap'n Crunch and pulled it out of the cabinet. Yes! I love this stuff. It's one of my favorites. And it's not expired!" He was practically dancing as he ripped open the top of the box and the expression on his face changed immediately to one of shock and fear.

"Houston...we have a problem…"

xxxxx

"Kens, I found them!" Nell shouted excitedly from her familiar spot in front of the ops computers. The NCIS ladies having gotten tired of their partial access when working at home from Nell's tablet, and having decided to use the full extent of OSP's resources to locate the boys.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Kensi was already halfway to the door when she spoke. The fear she felt for her husband having instantly changed to her ever-present need to protect him. That need now finally having an outlet as they had their locations at last.

"Are you sure you just want to barge in there? They're probably okay. Sam is a trained ex-Navy Seal and Callen, Deeks and Eric are also capable in their own ways." Nell asked softly, her ability to analyze the ins and outs of every situation shining through.

"Then why haven't they called?" Kensi wondered out loud, knowing it was more of an introspective question as Nell couldn't possibly have an answer to it.

"I don't know, Kens. But I assume it's just that they don't have any signal." Nell offered, as she lacked any better explanation.

"But, what if we wait and then we're too late?" Kensi asked again, her mind thinking of all the times they'd nearly been too late. But then she remembered this situation didn't involve bad guys, only nature, and her boys were more than adept at handling that. "Ok." She agreed finally, moving back towards Nell and dejectedly plopping down on a chair.

"Let me do some more research and we can decide when I have some more intel." Nell proposed. Deep down also wanting to rush into that forest and make sure that the boys were really okay, but also not wanting to ruin their getaway in case things were perfectly fine.

A few minutes of typing and a phone call later, Nell rushed out of the room, screaming at Kensi to follow her.

Surprised by Nell's reaction and change of demeanor, it took Kensi a second to react and follow her friend. Reaching the bullpen, she found Nell standing in the middle with two go-bags ready to go. "Come on, I will explain when we're on the way!" Then as quickly as before, Nell ran out of the mission and towards the parking deck.

Reaching her car, Kensi's nerves were on edge, knowing Nell must have discovered that something was very wrong but too scared now to ask for details. Could she have found hospital admission information? Or news from the park rangers? Or even worse, the name of one of the boys in the local morgue?"

"Where to?" She asked eventually, knowing that her mind was going in a downward spiral and only seeing Deeks would be able to calm her now.

"Van Nuys. There's a private airport there and I called Hetty, she has a plane ready and waiting for us." Nell explained calmly.

"What did you find, Nell?" Kensi didn't wait for an answer, she just speeded out of there as if all their lives depended on it. Nell wouldn't have involved Hetty if the situation didn't truly call for it.

"Woah!" Nell shrieked, holding onto the handles on the roof of the car for dear life. "I found out the location of the cabin they rented and also a hotel reservation in Reno." All the words rushed out of Nell as soon as a red light forced Kensi to slow down, allowing Nell's heart rate to go back down to normal rhythm.

"Ok." Kensi said, knowing there had to be more to it, her sideway glare prompting Nell to keep going.

"I called the hotel to see if the boys had checked in but they missed their reservation and no one called to cancel or move it". Nell turned to look at Kensi, knowing the implications of that information but still holding onto the hope that maybe the blizzard had just forced them to delay their plans.

"When should have they checked in?" Kensi asked reluctantly, wanting all the intel but not to crush her spirits any further.

"Yesterday."

"Ok, ok, ok..." Kensi said over and over. Hands clutching so tightly to the wheel that her knuckles looked completely devoid of color.

"Kens." Nell called from beside her friend. "Kensi!" She shouted after getting no response. "We will find them. It's only been a day, the storm probably made it impossible for them to stick to their schedule. But if something else happened, we will go out there and help them. Hetty is calling the rangers, and they will also have medical attention on standby in case we need it. We will help them, okay? And everything will be alright." Moving her hand to Kensi's shoulder, Nell squeezed tightly, letting her know that she wasn't alone in this. The thought that the rangers and paramedics would be waiting also helped to ease the girls' concerns, because they might not need their services, but they were sure glad to have them if it turned out someone was hurt.

"Thanks, Nell." Kensi whispered, a silent tear running down her cheek.

"Anytime." Nell said honestly, secretly also feeling proud at managing to help her usually composed friend through her brief show of vulnerability.

For the next few minutes no one said anything else, both agent and analyst lost inside their own heads. Both also trying to convince themselves that everything was okay, but at the same time, preparing themselves for a fight if it came to that. Nature might not have a conscience but it could be as unforgiving as any bad guy they had faced.

Reaching the airport a half hour later, a thought occurred to Kensi as she parked her SUV. "How did you find all this information?"

Nell winced, turning an apologetic look towards her friend. "I might have hacked Sam's email."

Kensi's instinctual response was to mirror Nell's grimace. Both knowing that Sam wouldn't be a happy man when he found out, especially if things were perfectly okay, after all. Still both friends promptly burst out laughing, their worry easing and their nerves coming out in desperate chuckles.

Giving each other a minute to sober up, they collected their belongings before stepping out of the car. Then sharing a determined look and walking to the waiting plane.

"Let's go get our boys."


	13. Chapter 13

_We'd like to thank everyone who is still reading and supporting this story. It means the world to us. Hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and well during these difficult days. _

xxxxx

"What's up, Eric? Did you find Cheerios instead of Cap'n Crunch?" Sam asked, from his position crouched beside their diminishing stack of food. But as soon as he raised his gaze to meet Eric's, he knew that something must be very wrong. "Eric, what did you find?" He asked again, his tone a lot more serious this time.

Getting no response from Eric, Sam got up and began slowly moving forward towards his teammate, all thoughts about breakfast and the stack of food gone from his mind.

For his part, Eric said nothing. He continued to stand rooted in place, face pale and eyes wide. Lips parted but no words coming out, he just moved his hand to grab the box and flipped it so it's content fell down onto the kitchen counter with a loud thud. One that told everyone around that whatever was inside was anything but cereal.

"What's wrong guys?" Callen inquired, having woken up a few minutes ago and catching the end of his teammates' conversation. Getting no reply at all, he tried lifting himself from the bed but ended up just groaning and plopping back down as soon as his back protested in pain.

"What's in the box?" Deeks asked next, reminding everyone of another box from a long time ago and signaling that all men were now awake and waiting tensely for Eric to reveal his discovery.

"We sure have a problem." Sam responded eventually, having reached the kitchen counter and lifting the offending object in his hand.

"Is that...?" Callen began to ask, but promptly trailed off and closed his eyes. Silently wondering how unlucky they could be.

"...A brick of some kind of drug." Deeks completed Callen's observation. "Which I guess explains why this cabin is so much nicer than the other one. Dealing sure pays well."

"Definitely better than trying to stop those who deal." Callen added, rolling his eyes.

"Maybe... maybe... it's not a dealer. Could be that whoever lives here just likes to have some fun while spending time in their cabin?" Eric proposed, voice shaking as he stared at the wrapped object in Sam's hand.

"Unfortunately, I don't think they'd need this much for that." Sam responded drily.

"I bet if we looked around we would find a lot more." Deeks agreed, remembering his many undercover assignments and all the ingenious places where dealers stacked their merchandise.

"I don't think we need to look for more, this is proof enough that we need to get the hell away from here as soon as we can." Callen again tried to get up, and this time already expecting the pain, managed to groan his way up to a sitting position.

"Ok, then I will be on my way." Eric said, quickly moving to grab his jacket before anyone could stop him.

"On your way where?" Callen asked, wondering what he had missed.

"Eric here wants to walk back towards the parking lot and get help from the rangers." Sam explained, a twinkle in his eye as he expectantly waited for Callen and Deeks to also turn the idea down.

"Oh, that makes sense, thanks, Eric." Deeks responded first, a loopy smile gracing his lips even as pain lines were still visible on his face.

Sam fought the urge to berate Deeks for his comment, instead just rolling his eyes as he attributed what he thought to be Deeks' lack of judgement to his concussion.

"I don't like it." Callen began, making Sam smile. "But, I get it. Just be careful, Eric." The last bit making Sam's smile disappear as quickly as it had come.

"Are you both crazy? Did you also hit your head, partner? There's no way we're letting Eric go alone into the wilderness." Sam interrupted before anyone had a chance to add another absurd idea.

"I hate to break it to you partner, but you just can't do it all, and neither one of us is in any condition to go get help." Callen said, pointing to himself and Deeks. "It just makes sense for you to stay here in case Deeks needs any medical attention." He said, as if his younger teammate was the only one that could be needing some of that.

Deeks rolled his eyes, having caught the implication of his team leader's words. "I agree, Sam. As much as you want to always save the day, sometimes you just can't do it alone and you need to delegate and trust in your friends." Deeks added, sounding the most coherent in the last 24 hours. "Eric can be the hero this time."

"I really don't like this." Sam uncharacteristically pouted, starting to see that he would be defeated.

"We don't either, but we don't have too many alternatives. And I don't want to wait until whoever owns that decides to return." Callen said with an ounce of finality in his tone, his finger pointing to the brick of drugs still on Sam's hand.

"But..." Sam began to say, until Eric stopped him with a hand on his chest and a very determined look on his face.

"You're forgetting I'm still here." Eric began, as he pulled his hand back and kneeled down as he continued talking. "And as much as you're the bosses when we're in ops, here I'm my own man and I can make my own choices. You don't have to let me do anything because it's my decision and I'm going in search of help." He concluded his argument as he finished tying his boots. Then he got up from the floor and walked towards the door, making his teammates realize that while they argued, Eric had quietly taken off his pajamas and dressed in the warmest clothes he could find.

"Wait, Eric." Sam finally let go of the package and rushed towards Eric before the man had a chance to open the door. "You're right, I'm sorry. Let me just give you some pointers." He said in a more gentle and apologetic tone, before he moved to his bag, coming back a few seconds later with a scarf which he tied around Eric's neck and some cereal bars and a bottle of water which he gave to his teammate. Finally, making sure that Eric's jacket, gloves and beanie were warm enough, Sam nodded to himself then walked outside, Eric following close behind.

"Do you think he will be okay?" Deeks asked when he and Callen were alone.

"I don't know. I hope so." Callen replied, wishing he could sound more optimistic, but already aware that seemingly everything that could go wrong in this trip, was in fact going very wrong.

"I think he will be. Eric's stronger than he looks." Deeks said, for both his sake and Callen's. He had wanted to ask if the team leader thought they were making a mistake by letting Eric go, but he knew they were out of options, and second guessing themselves wouldn't do anyone any good.

With Deeks' last comment, the conversation trailed off, as both teammates remained silent, barely able to listen to the words drifting from outside, as Sam explained to Eric how to best get to the cars and what to do and not do while walking through the woods.

xxxxx

Sitting on the plane, Kensi tried to distract herself by checking maps of the area Nell had pointed out as the guys' most probable location, wanting to be prepared to hit the ground running. Out of the corner of her eye, she kept glancing at the time, seemingly willing time to move faster out of stubborness alone.

"We will find them, I promise." Nell said, hand coming to rest on Kensi's knee to stop it from continuing to bounce up and down, a habit she had apparently picked up from her husband who could never sit still, especially when he was feeling nervous and impatient. Getting no response, but pleased that Kensi had willed her leg to settle down, Nell blew out a breath before shifting her eyes back to her tablet. She continued to read in peace for about five minutes, right until she noticed that Kensi's nervous energy had shifted from bouncing her leg to tapping her fingers on the plane's window and chewing her bottom lip. "Kensi."

"Sorry." The agent had the decency to look sheepish as she also willed her fingers to stop moving, arm coming to rest on her lap.

Nell nodded but said nothing else, knowing she didn't yet have any real way to alleviate Kensi's worries, or her own. She just seemingly had a better way of handling said nerves. Which actually surprised her, Kensi being the agent that was usually in control, but maybe that was always bound to change once Kensi and Deeks moved their relationship forward. Content for now that Kensi had calmed down, Nell resumed her search.

Unfortunately, Sam's email hadn't yielded an exact location of the boys' location. Nell had found email communications with the owners of three cabins, only one of which responded that it had already been booked, leaving the other three as fair game. Nell hadn't been able to find any confirmation of which one he had decided to book, assuming that Sam had called the owners instead and finished the deal over the phone. She felt bad enough about hacking her teammate's email and she knew Sam wouldn't be happy, so she would need to leave hacking anything else as a last resort. For now they would hopefully soon arrive in the town where the boys' had stopped for the night and start following leads until they could find them.

Nell's thoughts were pushed back to reality when Kensi started snapping her fingers and clearing her throat every few seconds. Drawing in a breath and blowing it out slowly, Nell tried to focus back on the screen in front of her, knowing that unless she decided to tie Kensi up to the chair, she would most likely find another nervous tic once she made her stop the current two. And here the boys thought Deeks was the only one that had picked up on his spouse's quirks, but seemingly Deeks had taken up on his wife's tv and food habits, while Kensi had taken up on her husband's nervous energy and behavior. Doing her best to tune her teammate out, Nell continued writing a message to Hetty, updating them of their current location and so far lack of further progress, until she felt the plane start to descend. Finishing the short email, Nell hit send, before shutting off her tablet and turning to look at the window on Kensi's side. The town didn't look so big so hopefully they could get some answers soon, or even better yet, find the boys safely back at the inn, only needing to berate them for leaving the ladies in the dark, instead of for getting themselves in any kind of trouble...

xxxxx

At least it was a pretty nice day, Eric thought to himself as he trudged through the snow. It was cold, but not bitterly so and the sun was shining brightly. He wondered how long the snow from this freak snowstorm was going to last. It would probably be gone almost as quickly as it had arrived. That would be fine with him. He much preferred a warm day at the beach to the snow. He glanced at the compass which Sam had given him and was relieved to see he was still going in the right direction. So far, it had been a very quiet day. He hadn't heard anything at all except for the chirps of occasional birds and the sound of his own breathing. He had been really nervous when he had first started out on this trek, but as he moved along, he found that he was feeling much better about things with a renewed sense of confidence. It made him feel really good that he had actually taken charge and was going to see to it that his friends were saved.

xxxxx

Sam sighed softly to himself as his mind went over their predicament once again. Callen and Deeks were both asleep which was good, but he couldn't help but think that maybe he should have gone for help after all. As a man of action, he couldn't help but feel helpless just sitting here, waiting and worrying about Eric. It made him feel useless and it wasn't a feeling he liked. He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard a soft moan from Callen who was once again moving restlessly underneath the covers. As Sam approached him, he could see the perspiration covering his partner's face. Not good. "G?" he asked quietly, putting his hand gently on Callen's shoulder, cursing under his breath as he felt the heat radiating off his partner's shirt.

Callen awoke immediately. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking pale and somewhat panicked.

"Nothing. Everything's fine." Sam used a soothing tone, trying to reassure his friend. " I was just worried about you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine...just a little cold."

"I'm going to take your temperature." Sam retrieved the thermometer from the first aid kit once again and put it into Callen's mouth, almost daring him with his eyes to protest, which Callen didn't. "102.3" Sam said, reading the thermometer after it beeped. He got some ibuprofen and handed them to his partner who obediently took the tablets with some water. Just the way Callen was complacently doing everything worried Sam further. "Why don't you get some rest."

Callen nodded and allowed his eyes to close, huddling further under the blankets.

xxxxx

"_Deeks? Are you in there?"_

"_Kens? Kens, are you here?"_

"_Of course I'm here. Where else would I be?"_

"_Where are you?"_

"_I'm outside in the snow. It's so beautiful. Come and find me."_

"_I'll be right there."_

Deeks groggily opened his eyes and pushed his covers aside. He then unsteadily got to his feet and began to walk towards the door, swaying and almost falling dizzily to the floor.

"Deek!" Sam rushed to the other man and led him back to his cot. "What are you doing? Where do you think you're going?"

"Kensi is here. She's calling to me," Deeks said. "Let go of me. I need to go out and find her."

"Kensi isn't here. If she was, she'd come in here. She wouldn't be asking you to find her. And you don't even have any shoes on. Were you going outside in your bare feet?"

Deeks stared back at Sam appearing bewildered, but finally his confusion started to clear.

"You good?" Sam asked.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine," Deeks replied. "Sorry."

"How's your head?" Sam asked, ignoring his apology and also any possible grim meaning behind his words, or whatever dream or hallucination Deeks had been having. Suddenly glad that he was here because he wouldn't have liked Eric's chances trying to stop Deeks if he really tried to push forward and leave the cabin.

"Well, I definitely know it's still there," Deeks quipped, though neither man smiled.

"How about food? You feel like eating? I can get you some lunch."

Deeks shook his head. "Not really. Don't let that stop you guys though. Feel free to have something."

Sam glanced over at his partner who seemed to have drifted off again. "I'm not all that hungry either."

"How's Callen?" Deeks asked, noticing the worry that instantly came to Sam's eyes as soon as he looked at his partner.

"Temperature up to 102. He's not doing great."

"He'll be okay. Eric will be back with help soon."

"Yeah, yeah I know," Sam said, hoping with all his heart that would be the case.

xxxxx

After Kensi and Nell's plane landed, they obtained a rental car that Hetty had already paid and booked for them and headed towards the inn where the men had stayed. Kensi drove and glanced at Nell who was now anxiously wringing her hands together. "Hey, are you okay?"

Nell nodded with a smile that was more like a grimace. "I...I'm fine. I'm just worried. Eric is not an outdoorsman." Her fear having increased as soon as the plane got closer to the town and she took sight of the massive stretches of forest all around them. Nothing but trees visible except for the small town and the highway that passed through the parks.

Kensi sighed. "Well, Deeks isn't either and he was really anxious about this trip… I wish I had taken his concerns more seriously. I should have tried to talk Sam out of it. A different kind of trip would have been much better for him."

"Deeks wouldn't have wanted you to do that, Kens," Nell said. "He wouldn't have wanted to back out. Peer pressure isn't just for kids, you know."

"Let's just try to be positive," Kensi said, not wanting to focus on the horrible thoughts she was having. "We should be at the hotel soon. We can grab something quick to eat there and maybe get some answers as well."

"You're right," Nell said, nodding in agreement. "We have to believe that everything is good. They are going to be just fine."

xxxxx

Kensi parked the car and she and Nell went into the 'lobby' of the hotel. It looked more like a big living room, but still not big enough as the one she had just seen in Hetty's house. They waited patiently for the front desk clerk to finish with the family in front of them and then went up to the desk. "Hello," Kensi said with a friendly smile. "We were wondering if you recalled seeing these men here recently?" She handed her phone to the clerk with a picture of the boys on it which had been taken at the wedding. A pang of sadness stabbed at her heart as she remembered that day and how happy she had been when Deeks finally moved from fiance to husband, it had been a long road.

The clerk shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't recall seeing them. You may want to check in the restaurant though. They may have eaten there if they stayed here."

"Thank you, we'll do that," Kensi said. She then turned to Nell. "We may as well get something quick to eat while we're here." They hadn't had breakfast and as much as she didn't want to waste any time, she knew they needed to keep their energy up.

"Okay," said Nell. She wasn't really hungry but she didn't want to keep Kensi from eating so she would just force something down.

The two women made their way into the restaurant and were seated by the hostess. Almost immediately, a friend-appearing man made his way over to their table and gave them each a menu. "My name is Lucas, would you like some coffee?" he asked.

Nell and Kensi both nodded. "That sounds wonderful," Kensi said. He headed off and came back with a pot of coffee which he poured into the mugs on the table. "Lucas?" Kensi asked after he finished with the coffee. "Can you tell us if you've seen these men in here recently?"

Kensi handed Lucas her phone and he immediately gasped. "Marty!"

Kensi and Nell shot each other a look. "You know him?" Kensi asked.

"So… which one of you is the wife?" he asked. An embarrassed smile gracing his lips.

"That would be me," Kensi answered quickly. "Did you see them recently? Were they just here?"

"You are one lucky woman," Lucas said. "He has one incredible head of hair and those eyes… But I digress. No, they were here, maybe a week ago? Maybe less. I'm not sure exactly."

"They didn't happen to mention where they were going?" Kensi asked hopefully.

Lucas paused for a few moments as he thought back but then shook his head. "No, I don't recall them saying anything like that. I'm guessing they were going hunting or fishing or something like that?"

"Oh." Kensi's face fell.

"Why?" Lucas asked. "They're not in some kind of trouble, are they?"

"We hope not," Nell said when Kensi didn't answer the question. "They were supposed to check in here though on the way home and they didn't. They haven't called us either."

"So which one is yours?" Lucas asked, giving Nell a curious look. "I'm assuming the guy in the glasses? The other two are kind of old for you."

Nell blushed and nodded but didn't say anything.

"Well, I'll leave you to peruse the menus," Lucas said when an awkward silence developed. "I'll be back in a few minutes to take your order." Not far from the table, he stopped suddenly and rushed back to them. "If they stopped here, I assume they were going to the National Park on the other side of the 395. The rangers should have a list of all the cabins that are being occupied at any given time. If you take this same road and go south for a quarter of a mile, you will find the Mount Whitney Ranger Station. Might be worth checking in with them." He added as an afterthought, before rushing back to tend the other tables.

"Once we find them, I think you're going to have to keep Deeks on a leash," Nell said, trying to keep Kensi's spirits up. "It seems that Kirkin isn't the only man who finds him irresistible."

"Kirkin would be worried sick if he knew he might be in danger," Kensi said with a sigh, not able to find the usual humor in the situation or the mention of her husband's Russian admirer. "I don't know why I'm so disappointed. We knew they didn't check in."

"I know," said Nell, "but I feel the same way. We're so close but yet so far. At least we know where to go next." She finished, hopefully.

"You're right, And we'll find them," Kensi said with a fierce determination in her eyes. "We _**will**_ find them."

xxxxx

"_Put one foot in front of the other_

_And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor_

_Put one foot in front of the other_

_And soon you'll be walking out the door"_

Eric sang the lyrics to the familiar song from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" The snow was making him think of Christmas and he'd been singing Christmas songs for the last hour or so. It actually wouldn't be such a bad day if his friends weren't in peril and it went without saying that it would be better if Nell was there singing along with him.

"I hope I see you soon, Nell," he said before sighing heavily. He took out one of the cereal bars Sam had packed for him, ripped off the wrapper and began to munch on it. Walking was definitely making him hungry. He finished the bar and was debating on having another one when his attention was drawn to three figures up ahead. As he drew closer, he saw that there were three men, one black, two white, all appearing to be in their 30s. Finally, they drew close enough to speak. "Howdy," one of the white men spoke. He had long brown hair and a beard.

"Hi," Eric said. "How long will it take for me to reach the parking lot?"

"Probably about another couple of hours in that direction." One of the men responded pointing Eric into the direction they had come. "Why? You lost?"

Eric shook his head. "No, I'm just trying to get help for my friends. "We rented a cabin and ran into some trouble. They need medical attention."

"Well, we won't keep you then. We're in kind of a hurry to reach our destination also. Good luck. We hope your friends will be okay."

"Thanks. Have a good day." Eric said cheerfully.

Paying no attention to the interaction, Eric continued along his way as he and the trio of men parted ways. But, if Eric had been a more perceptive man – which of course he was, through a screen, but not so much in real life – he would have noticed the way one of the men's fingers tapped impatiently on his pants leg as they stopped to chat, or how the vein in his friend's neck kept popping out next to a scar that looked suspiciously like an old bullet wound, and more importantly, the gun that was briefly visible on the waistband of the third man's jeans when his shirt raised as he lifted his hand to point Eric in the direction of the parking lot…

xxxxx

_Special thanks to Bkworm4life4__ and __MMc. You two got our wheels spinning with the mention of bad guys lol ;)_


	14. Chapter 14

_Mulderette here, our sincere apologies to those of you who have been waiting for an update to this story. Life in the real world has gotten in the way for sure. I was permanently let go from my job of 11 years due to the coronavirus and my head just hasn't been in a good place for writing. However, on a much more serious note, my friend and writing partner, Jess, lost her dad after his battle with cancer. _ _She and her family have gone through quite a lot over these past weeks._

_We're so sorry for having disappeared and failing to update this story for a little while. But we plan to return to more regular updates now. Thank you to everyone that's still here. We hope you enjoy this chapter._

xxxxx

"Whoa...whoa...slow down, Kens… Why don't you let me drive…" Deeks was in a sitting position on his cot with his hands tightly clutching the sides of the thin mattress, looking more than a little bit woozy.. "Come on, baby...you really need to be more careful. I'm going to get sick."

"Deeks? Hey, brother… What's going on with you?" Sam went over to Deeks and squatted beside his cot. "What's the matter?"

"Sam Dawg?" Deeks looked at Sam in confusion, his eyes darting around wildly. "Or I guess it's Sam Dawgs...There are two of you. That's pretty freaky. Where did Kensi go? Did she turn into another Sam Dawg?"

"Deeks, come on, man… you need to lie down, okay? Help should be here soon." Sam tried to get Deeks to comply, but the younger man stubbornly refused.

"Where did Kensi go? She was driving. How'd you even get here?"

"You have a bad concussion…" It seemed to be a lot worse than Sam had first thought. "Come on...you need to rest."

"No, no, no... I need Kensi. What did you do with her?"

Sam ran his hand over his face in frustration. "I didn't do anything to her. You'll see her soon, okay? Just sleep. Hopefully, she will be here when you wake up."

"Really?" Deeks asked. His eyes darting back and forth as he chuckled. "I don't know which Sam I'm talking to. It's really freaking me out that there are two of you. Which one is Callen's partner? Is one of you going to be partnered up with me until Kensi gets here?"

"Yeah, we'll decide that later," Sam said, keeping his voice calm and soothing as he tried to push Deeks gently down once again. "Come on...just rest now…"

Exhausted, Deeks finally succumbed to Sam's wishes. "Okay, I do think Callen should get to choose which one of you he wants to be partnered up with...It's only fair. He might know which one of you is the original. Just...just wake me up when Kensi gets here, okay? I miss her."

"I know you do, just sleep now…" Sam watched as Deeks finally dropped off to sleep and sighed heavily. He really hoped it hadn't been a mistake to let Eric go for help. There was no way he could leave his two friends alone to go after him.

xxxxx

"He's not doing too good, is he?" Callen asked from his own cot.

Sam walked over to his partner. "That's the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think?"

"I'm alright," Callen replied unconvincingly. "How long has Eric been gone anyways?"

Sam shrugged then looked at his watch. "A couple of hours, I guess. It's hard trudging through snow. It was a lot easier getting here than it's going to be heading back." He hoped Eric was warm enough and that he didn't run into any wild animals. Just the thought of it made him slightly panicked. He quickly forced the thought out of his head. Eric was doing a heroic thing. He would be fine.

"I guess this isn't the fun time for Deeks we thought it was going to be. We're going to owe him some kind of a makeup trip."

"I can't imagine Deeks is going to want to go away with us again any time soon, probably never," Sam said sadly. "I also don't think Kensi is going to let him out of her sight either." He had no idea why he had insisted on a wilderness trip. It certainly hadn't turned out anything like he had planned. He didn't think he'd plan any kind of boys' trip ever again.

Callen shifted his position and winced as his injured ribs rebelled against the movement. "Damn."

"You okay?" Sam asked, his eyes filled with guilt and concern. He still hadn't forgotten that he had shot his partner. Although he was attempting to keep it in the back of his mind, it wasn't all that easy to do. Right now, there were too many other things to worry about. He knew at some point he was going to have to come to terms with it even if it had been an accident. It didn't make him feel any better about it.

"Just a little twinge," Callen said. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Let me take your temperature."

Callen shook his head. "You just took it, Sam. I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"I'm always going to worry about you," Sam stated. "It's what we do."

"Yeah well, you don't have to. I'm going to be fine."

"Yeah, I know you are…" There was silence for a few moments before Sam spoke again. "Can I get you anything?"

"Some water?"

"Yeah, sure," Sam picked up Callen's water bottle from the floor and handed it to his partner who took a few sips and then placed the cap back on the bottle.

"Thanks."

"Why don't you try to get some rest," Sam suggested.

"I thought I'd keep you company," Callen said although he was obviously fighting sleep.

"I'll still be here when you wake up, G... Just rest."

"Okay, just for a few minutes," Callen said, allowing his eyes to close. "Wake me up if you need me."

"Yeah, I will buddy." Sam straightened the blankets covering his partner and looked at his watch once again. Time seemed to be standing still. He just wanted his friends to be safe and sound in the hospital and out of this mess that he had created. Hopefully, Eric would arrive with help very soon.

xxxxx

In its wake, the receding snowstorm had only left a thick white coating over the forest floor. And with no new snowflakes to take its place, Eric's footprints clearly marked the path the young man had taken up to the point he encountered the three men.

"Do you think he found our cabin? Could he be a cop?" One of them asked, the vein on his neck continuing to pop as he entertained the possibility.

"Did he look like a cop to you?" The second one shot back, eyebrows raised as he recalled the cheerful man. His hand, nonetheless, instinctively moved to grasp the handle of his gun, half expecting for the forest to suddenly light with gunfire, and for a hundred SWAT officers to burst into the scene.

"Not really... But you know how it is these days. More and more of these cops just look like surfer dudes from down in Venice," the third one responded, his fingers still rhythmically bouncing up and down his pant leg. "Tho, in retrospect, this one didn't look like a surfer either..."

At that comment, the three men chuckled, blaming the healthy dose of paranoia that came from a life of crime for their apprehensions. But as they kept on their way and their newly carved footprints continued to collide with that of the blonde, the three men's fear began bubbling over again.

"Should we go after him?" One of them asked.

His two friends didn't say anything. One of them began opening and closing his fists, his knuckles ready for a fight. While the other took a second to turn back towards the general direction of the parking lot, still waiting for a swarm of cops to rush them any second.

"What if he wasn't a cop, but a lookout for one of our rivals?" One of the men finally responded.

"Did he look like a gangbanger to you?" The question elicited a laugh from all three men. "And I don't see him as cartel, either".

"Okay, but I think we can all agree that something's not right," the man that had started the whole conversation quickly said. All laughter stopped as his hand pointed to the door of their cabin, to where a path had been created in the uneven footprints of the young man they couldn't place, but who clearly meant some kind of danger.

"Should we go in or backtrack and hope we can catch him before he gets reinforcements?"

"It all looks quiet. Maybe we can sneak in, take our things, and hightail it out of here before it's too late."

"We shouldn't leave any loose ends. He saw our faces."

The conversation followed in the same manner for the next few minutes, all three men trying to agree on the best course of action. Ultimately, it was decided that two of them would go in the cabin and the last man would try to catch up with the young blonde. When they had originally met him, they were about one third of the way to the cabin, and two thirds to the parking lot so hopefully he could maintain a quick pace and intercept and eliminate the threat before it became their downfall.

Drawing in a deep breath, the leader of the group grabbed his gun and checked his ammo, before starting towards the cabin. "See you on the other side, brothers."

His two companions nodded, both reaching down to grab the guns strapped to their ankle holsters, then mirroring his image, checked the ammo and cocked their weapons.

Without another word, two of the men slowly moved towards the cabin, one going to the front door, while the other sneaked to the back. Their friend wasted no time before he began backtracking towards the parking lot at a quick pace.

All three men decided against wearing balaclavas as neither of them expected to leave any kind of witness.

xxxxx

To anyone without a trained ear, the only sounds reaching the cabin would have been the soft breeze that followed the storm and the chirping of the few birds that had decided to brave the cold to welcome the now reappearing sun. But to Sam Hanna, the wind also carried whispered words that he didn't recognize. Words that made the hairs on the nape of his neck stand up as his spidey senses tickled with the promise of danger. He shook his head, wondering when had he started thinking like Deeks? The thought only increased his worry as he sadly looked down at his two injured friends, before slowly moving towards the window at the front of the cabin.

It was much too early for Eric to be back, unless someone had already been searching for them and had managed to meet their young tech halfway through. But Sam's brief moment of hope was extinguished like a candle in the wind as soon as he marginally opened the curtains. His eyes narrowed as he stared at three men standing at the edge of the forest. Waiting to see if they would continue on their way, Sam held his ground.

As the men started moving, Sam instantly knew that things were about to go very, very wrong. At least if the guns that the men had suddenly procured seemingly out of nowhere were any indication. Turning back towards his friends, Sam quickly debated what to do. He didn't want to take his eyes off the men, but he also couldn't leave Callen and Deeks exposed in case they decided to burst in to search for their drugs. Because that was the only possible explanation. Leave it to Deeks to make them break into what possibly is the only drug cabin in the park.

Letting the curtain fall back into place, Sam turned around and was not at all surprised to be met with the inquisitive eyes of his team leader. His finger instantly went to his lips, in the universal sign of 'stay quiet'. Callen just nodded, silently telling his partner that he had heard too. Both men then reached the same conclusion, they had to get Deeks to safety and prepare to fight back as best as they could.

Silently moving towards the sleeping, or maybe unconscious man, Sam carefully began shaking him awake. Instantly regretting the action as soon as Deeks' features scrunched up in pain. But having no choice, Sam shook harder, and quickly moved his hand to cover Deeks' mouth as soon as confused blue eyes opened and stared back at him. Repeating his action from before, he moved his finger to his lip. Only removing the hand that covered Deeks' mouth when his teammate had nodded a few times and his eyes had cleared a bit.

"Deeks, we have company." Sam practically whispered. "We need to get you up and into the other room, come on." He began lifting the other man, but Deeks held his own and just stared at Sam with a hopeful look on his face.

"Is Kensi finally here?" Deeks asked, eyes searching the door.

"Not the good kind of company." Sam said through gritted teeth. "Please, I'll explain later but I really need you to move now. We don't have much time." His estimate was only a guess but seeing his partner's tense posture as he stared looking out the window, he knew he was right, and they needed to get in a fighting position sooner rather than later.

Even in his concussed and disoriented state, Deeks recognized the urgency and concern in Sam's tone. Years of abuse by his father made it all too familiar from an early age - many nights Roberta having entered his room to quietly prepare him for the impending wrath of hurricane Brandel - then many years as an undercover cop further tuning his instincts to an impending sense of doom.

"What can I do?" Deeks instantly asked. Taking Sam's outstretched hand as he gingerly sat up and then made his way to his feet. His legs wobbled and he almost went down but Sam was ready to catch him. Swinging his arm over his shoulder, he took most of Deeks' weight as he maneuvered them both into the other room. Reaching the closet door, he opened it, and motioned for Deeks to sit inside. Hopefully, there he would be safe while he and Callen took care of business. He wished he could protect his partner too, but even he knew that he needed help to take on the men. Seemingly he wasn't super Sam after all.

"Come on, Sam. I can help." Deeks said as he tried to push up. "Just give me anything that can be used as a weapon."

"Deeks, please, you're hurt. I know I haven't done a great job of protecting you on this trip, so let me make it up to you now. Kensi will be here soon, just wait and try to relax." Sam pleaded quickly, using his strong arm to push Deeks the rest of the way down, before he closed the door and moved back into the common area.

Stepping into the living room, Sam grabbed his gun and moved closer to the window. Smiling even in the dire situation as he noticed his partner now held a lamp in one hand, a kitchen knife in the other. Sam raised his eyebrows and stifled a laugh.

"What?" Callen asked in mock offense. "Not all of us have the luxury of having a gun."

Ignoring Callen's comment, Sam's eyes softened as he asked. "Are you okay to do this, buddy? If you want, I can take you to Deeks and hopefully you'll both be safe there." Sam also considered giving Callen his weapon, but in his partner's injured state, it probably wasn't the best idea to be handling a fire arm. They didn't want another friendly-fire incident.

Callen shook his head. His eyes showed some real offense now at the thought of his own partner thinking he would choose his own safety over fighting alongside him. "Let's do this," he said simply, before moving into full team leader mode. "There's two of them. One went back, not sure if to look for reinforcements, or maybe..." Shaking his head, Callen left the possibility unsaid, choosing to believe that Eric would be okay and soon would be back with cops and paramedics in tow. "The other two spread out, one is coming to the front, the other probably through the back." He finished his explanation. "So, what's the pl..."

Callen's question was cut short as both the front and back door flew open, and the cabin came to life with the sound of gunfire as the two men waited no time before they began shooting at anything that moved.

Sam and Callen jumped out of the way, docking behind any furniture they could find as they prepared to fight back.

xxxxx

As the door closed behind Sam, Deeks was left alone in the dark closet. He didn't know what the threat was about but vaguely remembered drugs, so he assumed it was its owners coming back for their product.

Closing his eyes, Deeks tried to remember his brief recollection of this room. Trying to decide if there was anything that could be used as a weapon. But his confused mind came up short and he cursed at his own inability to help his friends. It had been a long time since he had felt like the weak link on the team, but in this moment, he was back to being that man sitting at a chess table, feeling that he had to prove himself. Testing his own physical limitations, Deeks tried to stand up. His legs wobbled again, but he used his good arm to steady himself against the wall.

When Deeks was finally confident enough in his ability to stay upright, he opened the door and took a tentative step outside. Just then the familiar sound of gunfire erupted from outside the room and Deeks had to fight the instinctive reaction to duck for cover. Drawing in from a different kind of instincts, Deeks took in a long breath, releasing it slowly as he moved towards the door of the room. He was a cop. He was almost an agent. And right now, he needed all his years of experience in both jobs if he wanted to help his teammates. Giving a short, humorless chuckle, he wondered how much help he could be. Sadly acknowledging that Sam left him here because at this time he was more liability than asset. For the second time in the last few years, a damned hit to the head had left him useless and he didn't welcome the feeling now, just as he hadn't back in Mexico.

A grunt from outside drew Deeks' focus away from his own self-deprecating thoughts. And as his hand moved to open the door, he vaguely remembered that he didn't have a weapon. Turning back towards the closet, Deeks rummaged inside. His lips quirking up in a smile as his fingers came upon the handle of a big, hunting knife.

Weapon in hand, Deeks finally made his way outside. The sight that welcomed him twisting his gut as he stared at Sam lying on the floor, a growing red stain spreading over his thigh. While a now bloodied Callen stood over his partner, hands up in the air as one man pointed a gun at the senior agents.

xxxxx

The two gangbangers quickly overpowered Sam and Callen. Their single-minded focus on getting their drugs and getting out of dodge proving more than a healthy man's divided focus between the dangerous men and his injured partner.

As soon as the bullets started flying in their direction, Sam began returning fire. But out of the corner of his eye, he continued to keep an eye on his partner. Callen for his part soon realized that he was too far away for the lamp to be of any used, instead he remembered his hand to hand sparring with Kensi, and swiftly moved towards the man at the front, managing to stab him with the knife before the man regain his composure slamming the butt of his gun on Callen's temple. Blood slowly beginning to trickle out of the wound and down over Callen's face.

A grunt coming from his partner, had Sam twisting away in a second, forgetting about the man that was shooting at him as he raised from the ground and directed his shot at the man who was about to hit Callen again. As soon as he was on his feet, a searing pain shot through his thigh and he stumbled to his knees. The recognizable burn of a bullet hitting skin making Sam realize he had just been shot. Serves me right, he thought darkly as he remembered he had shot his own partner.

Being shot threw Sam's aim away, as his bullet didn't find center mass. Instead imbedding itself on the man's shoulder. Anger flashed through his face as he realized he had been shot, so he raised his weapon and pointed it at the man in front of him. Callen promptly raised his hands in the universal sign of surrender.

"Stop!" The leader of the team shouted as his partner was about to shoot the man in front of him. "Before getting out of here we have to find out who they are and what they know." A sick smile graced his lips as he stepped forward, his hand reaching down to grab the knife strapped to his leg. "Now, who wants to go first? Or will you kind gentlemen just talk and save us all the trouble? And on that note, drop your weapons."

Sam and Callen complied, letting the gun and knife fall to the ground, and then stayed quiet, neither of them wanting these men to know they were NCIS, even if this was supposed to be a leisure trip and they had just accidentally stumbled upon their stash house.

Kicking the weapons out of reach, the man seemingly made a decision, choosing to move towards Sam who lay helplessly on the floor, both hands trying to slow the blood flow coming from the hole in his leg. Just then the door to the room opened and a third man joined the party.

Sam silently cursed, wishing Deeks had stayed hidden and out of danger so at least one of them could tell their story. But before he had time to further delve into those thoughts, Deeks had moved to the kitchen, grabbing a brick of the drugs Sam had left partially hidden, and using a knife to cut at the package. The white powder raining all over him and the subject that stood over Sam. Luckily the cabin was small, so it had only taken a few steps for Deeks to take advantage of the men's surprise at seeing him.

In between a coughing fit, Deeks was able to push the knife into the man's chest before he had a chance to react. At the same time as Callen leaped forward, grabbing the gun the recently deceased man dropped as he twisted around and fired at the other subject, his bullet hitting him between his eyes, which now stared blankly at the roof as his body felt backward.

As soon as both bad guys were down, all three NCIS officers breathed a sigh of relief, before things took another turn for the worst, if only to keep with the tradition of the hellish week.

"Sam!" Callen shouted, dropping the weapon and finally being able to move to his partner. The movement however, made something inside him shift as breathing became difficult and his vision dimmed. And just like that, he plummeted to the floor.

At the same time, Deeks coughing intensified, as his hand moved to his head as the drum solo that beat inside grew exponentially. Also, at the same time, he realized with a sinking feeling that he had probably ingested some of the drug he used as a diversion and they wouldn't mix well with his concussion. But before he had a chance to find a solution to his problem, he promptly collapsed, joining Callen on the ground as both men slipped unconscious.

Sam saw it all happen in slow motion. First his partner's panicked stare as he failed to draw air into his lungs. Then the shadow that crossed Deeks eyes as he probably came about the same conclusion as Sam. And both his teammates hitting the ground as Sam wondered absentmindedly if they were even still alive. As Sam's eyes narrowed in confusion at how distant his own thoughts felt, he could feel himself sinking. Fighting a losing battle, Sam dropped his hands from his leg, blood now flowing freely and pooling in an increasing puddle below him. Then his eyes slowly closed as he finally lost his battle against blood loss and his consciousness slipped away.

xxxxx

_Apologies for the cliffy, but we will be back…_


	15. Chapter 15

_We would both like to thank all of you for the wll wishes and positive thoughts which you all sent us with the previous chapter. We can't tell you how much they meant to us. The world is a very different place these days and many people are having a rough time which makes what you all said to us even more meaningful. We're sorry that we didn't respond individually, but we thought you might like to have the next chapter up sooner, rather than later. Hope you like it and thanks again for all your reviews and kind words. Stay safe, everyone._

_xxxxx_

"Good afternoon, I'm Fred Dawson. Can I help you ladies?" The older man, who was balding and wearing a slightly too tight ranger uniform, smiled kindly at Kensi and Nell as they walked into the ranger station.

"We were wondering if you've seen any of these men?" Kensi asked as she showed a picture on her phone to the ranger.

Fred peered at the screen closely for a few long moments then shook his head as he handed the phone back to Kensi. "Can't say that I have. Are they in some sort of trouble?"

"We're not sure," Nell interjected. "They came here right around the time the storm hit and we haven't heard from them. They definitely should have been back by now. "

"That does sound like a problem," Fred said musingly. "Do you know where they were staying?"

"Well, not exactly," Kensi said with a slight frown. This wasn't going the way she wanted it to go.

"I'm guessing they probably stayed up near the lake?" Fred asked. "That's where we have a number of cabins. Some of the owners rent them out."

Kensi nodded. "That's probably right." As much as Sam liked to rough it, she couldn't imagine that he hadn't at least gotten them a cabin. At least she hoped that was the case.

"I can give you directions to that area and you can look for them up there," Fred said.

"But how many cabins are there?" Nell asked, her eyes filled with despair. "We may never find them."

"There are only eight cabins in the area I'm thinking of," Fred said soothingly. "I can't imagine that your friends went farther than that. The other campground is a good three day hike."

Kensi and Nell shared a relieved look. There was no way Sam would have brought the boys on that long of a trek.

"I'll sketch out a map of where they are. They're all pretty close together if you know where to look. I'm sorry I can't send anyone up there with you, but we're short staffed with the aftermath of the storm. I can give you a handset for our two way radio system though. In the event that there is some kind of an emergency, just call in and I'll be able to get help to you quickly. I'll have a rescue team and paramedics on standby."

"Okay, that would be good. We appreciate your help," Kensi said. It wasn't ideal by any means, but at least it gave them some direction of where to go. Hopefully, they would find the boys safe and sound in one of the cabins. Somehow though, she had a feeling they weren't going to be quite that lucky.

xxxxxx

When the first bullet flew by, Eric thought it had been a trick of the wind. By the second, he got the inkling that something was wrong. With the third, he started running. The bullet embedding itself in the trunk of a nearby tree, inches above where his head had been.

Eric then ran for what felt like hours, but was only mere minutes, before two voices put a stop to the pursuit.

"Drop your weapon, hands in the air." The first voice shouted.

"Don't even think about it." The second one threatened.

Instantly, Eric dropped his bottle of water and raised his hands in the air. Then he abruptly realized that he wasn't even holding a weapon and that he actually recognized the two voices.

Lowering his hands, Eric slowly turned around, coming face to face with a very pissed off looking Kensi and Nell. Both ladies now pointing guns at another man that had his own weapon drawn and pointed directly at him.

With a start Eric realized this was one of the three men he had met before. And with that recognition came awareness as Eric slowly began joining the pieces to complete the whole picture. He thought of the drugs, the other two men, and his injured friends alone in the cabin.

Not alone. He chided himself. Sam was there and Sam wouldn't let anything happen to Callen and Deeks.

But still a small seed of fear had been planted and Eric now hoped his small misstep wouldn't cost his teammates dearly.

"Drop your weapon now! Or I'll be forced to shoot you." Kensi's voice from a few feet away, drew Eric's attention back to the scene playing in front of him.

Eric stared at the man, the man stared at Eric. Then the man returned his attention to the two women pointing guns at him. Making a split-second decision, he seemingly decided to eliminate the threat. Even when it would surely cost him his life, but at least then his brothers and their business would be safe.

Eric saw the man's arm twitch, his finger tightening on the trigger, and he had the vague feeling that he was about to die. That brief moment wasn't like they described it in the movies, and he didn't see his life flashed back. Instead he saw the future. He saw Nell in a white dress, two small children running to their mommy and daddy, and a whole family of four playing PlayStation on a lazy sunday morning. That small look into what the future could be, hurt Eric more than any impending bullet could. If only he had recognized the threat in the men. But even then, what could he have done, outnumbered and alone.

For a moment, Eric's world slowed down. His eyes seeking Nell's as he whispered an inaudible _I love you_. Then the sound of two successive gunshots sent his world back into motion. A desperate, "get down" the last thing Eric remembered hearing before he hit the ground.

xxxxxx

Leaving the rangers' station, Kensi and Nell begun following the map to where the man had said the closest cabins were located.

The scenery around them was beautiful, and if not for the current situation, Nell would have stopped to further take in the snow covering the foliage and capture the scenic moments in some pictures. But her worry for the boys' safety was more than enough to keep her pushing forward at a brisk pace.

"Do you think we will find them here?" Nell asked eventually. She knew Kensi couldn't have more of an answer to that question than she did, but the silence was beginning to unnerve her and she just needed to fill it with something.

"I don't know, I hope so." Kensi sighed. "I don't think Sam would have taken them to the cabins farther away, but..."

"There's still the possibility that he didn't take them to any cabins at all." Nell finished for her friend, the idea already in the back of both their minds.

"Let's try to be positive. If they aren't here, hopefully Sam was able to see the forecast before they lost connection and decided to camp at another area." Kensi added as an alternative, because any possibility was better than to think of her friends alone and unprotected while the storm raged around them.

"But if that's the case, why haven't they called?" Nell wondered. Again knowing that Kensi couldn't have an answer and that all her questions weren't helping. But she was an analyst and her mind constantly needed to analyze the ins and outs of every situation.

"Maybe..." Kensi started to answer but her words were cut short by the recognizable echo of a gunshot. Raising her hand, she stopped Nell's progress and waited. Then came another gunshot. Then it all was silent for a second and Nell thought that maybe it was just a hunter. The third gunshot however, pushed them both into action, their trained NCIS minds recognizing what their hearts wouldn't, and both agent and analyst deep down knowing that this was not the sound of a hunting rifle.

Kensi crouched down, and signaled Nell to follow her. Moving as one towards the sound, the NCIS ladies came face to face with one of their missing friends. They stopped suddenly as they saw Eric run through the woods, trying not to trip on broken tree branches or slip on the snow, as a man, neither of them had ever seen before, chased after him.

Carefully raising from the ground, hands steady on the gun pointed at the man, Kensi shouted. "Drop your weapon, hands in the air."

"Don't even think about it." Nell added, seeing the man's finger tighten on the trigger.

Out of the corner of her eye, a sound caught Nell's attention, and her eyes instantly flew away from the man, and towards Eric, where she saw a bottle of water slide away from him, as her boyfriend's hands flew to the air. Letting Kensi take point, Nell allowed herself a brief smile, which only intensified as she saw recognition on Eric's face, before he dropped his hands down and turned around. Eric could still be the cutest even in dire circumstances.

The standoff continued for the next few minutes. The man still pointing a gun at Eric, and the two of them still pointing theirs at the man. From their position a few feet away, in between the pursuer and its prey, Nell couldn't properly read the man's intentions. So instead she focused on Eric.

Nell saw a range of emotions play across his face, until finally settling on acceptance and some sort of resignation. Then Eric turned towards her, and whispered words that turned her blood to ice.

Looking back at the man, Nell now saw his intentions perfectly displayed. A different sense of resignation on his face, as he took a breath and pressed the trigger. Two shots then rang out, almost at the same time as Eric hit the ground, the tech operator pushed into action by Kensi's warning scream. The man's bullet then went flying past where Eric's head had been, but Nell's bullet hit its mark and center mass on the man's chest.

xxxxxx

Kensi shouted just in time for Eric to lounge himself to the ground, the bullet missing his head by less than a second. It had only been years of law enforcement experience which allowed her to read the situation, comprehending both the man and Nell's intentions before it had been too late for Eric.

As one, Kensi and Nell moved forward, but quickly stepped in different directions, as Kensi ran to the fallen man and Nell ran to Eric.

Searching for a pulse, Kensi found none. But just in case, she kicked the man's gun away from his reach, her eyes landing on the crimson that now stained the otherwise beautiful snow covered ground. Then she moved towards her teammates, finding Nell kneeling down and hugging a trembling Eric. The analyst was whispering comforting words to her boyfriend, making Kensi long to also hold her husband in her arms.

"Eric, where are the others?" Kensi hated to break the sweet moment, but she needed to know. "Where's Deeks?" Her voice trembled at her husband's name. Because if a man had been chasing Eric with a gun, it could mean her other teammates were already dead, because there was no way they would have left Eric alone to face an attacker. "Eric? Please."

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Eric kissed Nell's forehead, before stepping away and looking at Kensi. Then be began babbling about storms, and trees, bears, gunshots and cocaine or maybe meth.

"Eric. Slow down." Kensi gently directed, wondering what the hell Eric was talking about. "Please, slow down and start from the beginning."

Eric took a few calming breaths to slow down his heartbeat and racing thoughts, before he started telling the girls everything that happened since they left the city of angels. At first it was the tale of a happy trip between friends, then it turned into a nightmarish retelling of said friends' bad luck.

Kensi tried to stay calm as she listened but her fingers closed into fists when Eric mentioned a bear. And if the situation had been less dire, she would have laughed at her conversation with Deeks while he was packing came to her mind. Now she wished she had let him take his gun.

"If Sam isn't already dead, I swear I'll shoot him myself." Kensi threatened without any real power or intention behind her words. It was just the desperation of a wife that preferred to place the blame on someone, instead of acknowledging that her other half could be dead. Because if the other men hadn't finished the deed, Deeks' concussion might as well. Because one of those was never good and two was even more dangerous.

"It wasn't his fault." Eric whispered. "He doesn't control nature, you know. Not a lot he could do about the bear or the bad guys that decided to stash their drugs in the cabin either." He spoke louder this time, his desire to defend his friend greater than his fear of a pissed off Kensi.

"I know." Kensi breathed out. "But I'll kill Deeks for picking a drug cabin." A murderous edge clouding her words.

"It wasn't his fault either, we would have frozen to death otherwise." Eric timidly pointed out.

"I know, Eric, I know." Kensi said with a sad, dejected smile. Because deep down she knew this was really no one's fault, just a streak of bad luck dictated by some higher power.

"Are they okay?" Nell asked, trying to move the conversation into more useful territory. They needed to know what they would be going up against if they wanted to help their friends.

"They were when I left, but... he had two friends." Eric said, his eyes pointing at the now deceased man.

"You guys get yourself together, we have to find them. I'll just make a call and we'll be on our way." Kensi directed, her despair evaporating as she returned to bad-ass agent mode. She then stepped a few feet away and grabbed the radio the ranger had given her. Making a quick call, they arranged for EMS and the cops to meet them at the cabins. "Let's go."

Reaching a hand down, Kensi helped Eric get on his feet, giving him an extra minute to compose himself.

"How did you find us?" Eric asked, as they started their trek towards the cabin.

"I... might have hacked Sam's email." Nell said shyly.

"You did what?!" Eric shrieked, fear in his voice, but immense pride shining in his eyes.

"I hacked Sam's email. There I found some emails between Sam and cabin renters. He must have finalized the deal by phone as I saw no confirmation there, but all were in this general area, so we came here. Then Lucas confirmed you were at the inn and pointed us in the direction of the ranger station." Nell explained, filling Eric on her side of the story.

"You met Lucas?" Eric asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Yes, we did." Kensi replied this time, the sentence clipped between gritted teeth.

"At least he helped us find Eric." Nell added hopefully, trying to give some perspective and gently remind Kensi that she couldn't just shoot Lucas when they returned to the town.

"Yeah..." Kensi whispered, dejection now clouding her tone. At this point, she just wanted to find Deeks, and she didn't care if Deeks had left behind him a path of infatuated men. None of them could be worse than Kirkin. But she would still have some choice words with her husband once he was out of danger.

Silence then fell on the group, as all three friends got lost inside their own thoughts as they continued walking towards the cabin and their remaining three missing teammates.

xxxxxx

Callen opened his eyes and focused on his breathing as he looked at his two friends, both unconscious, lying on the floor. He knew he ought to try to do something for Sam. The puddle of dark red blood by his leg was alarming in itself, as well as the sight of his seemingly infallible partner lying motionless. It was all he could do to get breath in and out of his lungs though. He didn't even think he could get his body to properly move in order to sit up, never mind help anyone.

"Hey...Deeks...can...you...hear...me?" he asked breathlessly, his voice barely above a whisper. There was no response from the detective though and as Callen stared at the younger man, he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Deeks didn't look good, his face pale and his body perfectly still. In fact, it was hard to tell if he was even breathing. Mustering as much strength as he could, Callen made an attempt to lift himself up from the floor. This only resulted in his body slamming back downward as lightning bolts of pain shot through his back.

"Sam...Sam...Hey partner...can...can...you open your eyes for me?" No response from him either. What the hell? Were his two friends just going to die while he laid here useless?

He geared himself up to make another attempt at sitting up when he froze, hearing the unmistakable sound of loud creaking from the wooden porch outside the front door. Frantically, he looked around for Sam's gun, but couldn't see it. They were definitely just sitting, or rather lying ducks. He supposed dead ducks was the most accurate description. He inwardly braced himself for whoever was about to enter the cabin.

xxxxxx

"That's it, up ahead," Eric whispered, pointing to the cabin. His heart was beating crazily, fears of what they were going to find inside at the forefront of his mind. What if he had failed? What if they were already dead?

"It looks so innocent," Nell said, almost to herself, as she thought of the potential evil deeds going on inside the cabin. Outside, it looked like the perfect place for a romantic getaway or a family trip to spend time together in the wilderness. Inside, who knew what they would find. She saw Kensi readying her weapon and did the same.

"Eric, you stay out here," Kensi ordered as they stepped onto the porch. She inwardly cursed as the wood creaked loudly underneath their feet. So much for the element of surprise. Not willing to waste another moment, she put her hand on the doorknob and flung the door open. She was greeted by the sight of multiple bodies on the floor, none of them moving except for Callen who stared at them in apparent wonderment.

Immediately, Kensi rushed to Deeks' side and knelt down beside him. "Deeks, honey? Can you hear me?" Kensi asked, placing her hand gently on his cheek. "Sweetheart?" He didn't respond to her voice or touch though and she was brought back to the nightmare in Mexico. She didn't think she could go through that again.

"Go...go to Sam….," Callen rasped to Nell who appeared to be uncertain about who to help. "Leg… bleeding…"

Sensing no danger inside and needing to help, Eric went and retrieved the first aid kit and handed it to Nell, who pulled out a pressure bandage which she tightly wrapped around Sam's thigh. "Help will be here soon," she said to Callen with a forced smile.

"What happened here?" Eric asked Callen, eager to hear the details of how his now three injured friends had managed to overcome their assailants.

"I…" Callen was struggling to breathe once again. He couldn't even begin to explain what had transpired. It was too much for him to wrap his head around and definitely too much to verbalize in his present state. Instead, he chose to praise the young tech operator. "You...you did good, Eric. You...saved...our...lives…"

Eric smiled as a blush colored his cheeks. "I just want you guys to be okay."

Kensi could hear the others speaking in the background but her attention was focused on her husband who was still unresponsive. "Deeks, help is on the way...You need to hang on for me. Do you hear me? You are going to pull through this. You have to...you just have to." Her voice caught as her eyes filled with tears, but she quickly managed to blink them back. She was going to be strong. She had to be. She would be strong for her husband and make sure he pulled through whatever was ahead.

xxxxx

"I think I might hear a helicopter." Eric cocked his head and listened intently.

"I hear it too!" Nell said excitedly.

"I'm going to go out and lead them to us when they land," Eric said as he hurriedly grabbed his jacket and put it on. "There's a clearing nearby. I'm pretty sure that's where they'll land." He then ran outside, banging the door behind him.

"Are you doing okay?" Nell asked, turning her head toward Callen, even though she knew he was having a hard time talking. "Do you need anything?"

Callen nodded in response then shook his head when Nell asked if he needed anything. All he needed was for Sam and Deeks to be okay. He found that he was feeling guilty for being the only one conscious, which he knew was ridiculous, but he felt that way just the same. He wasn't even taking into account his own injuries. In fact, he was trying to ignore them altogether except for the fact that his breathing was so bad. That was a pretty difficult thing to ignore.

The occupants of the cabin again lapsed into silence until Nell managed to catch Kensi's eye. "How's he doing?" she asked softly, her eyes filled with sympathy.

Kensi shook her head, appearing distressed. "I don't know. I don't think very well. He hasn't even moved. I wish he'd just wake up." Once again, her thoughts were moving to Mexico. Too much had happened over the past couple of years and this wasn't even related to work. Couldn't things ever just be normal for them? Why couldn't they seem to catch a break?

"Deeks is strong. He'll pull through this," Nell said encouragingly. "He has a lot to live for."

Kensi nodded, but it was hard to believe Nell's words at the moment, not when her husband was just lying there so still and silent. It was the very opposite of how he usually was, so verbose and full of life. She hated seeing him this way.

Just then, Sam groaned softly and moved his head, in obvious pain. "Sam? Can you hear me?" Nell asked, taking his hand as Callen looked over at them anxiously.

Sam groaned again and then slowly opened his eyes. "Nell? What…" He looked around and saw that they were still in the cabin, but Nell and Kensi were with them which was definitely a good thing. Also good was the fact that G was conscious and looking at him. "Where's Eric?"

"There's a helicopter coming in. Eric went outside to guide them to the cabin."

"What about Deeks? How is he?"

"Deeks, he…" Nell trailed off, unsure what to say.

"What?!" Sam asked, alarmed. "He's not?"

"No, no, no," Nell answered quickly. "I'm sorry. We just, we don't know anything. He's still unconscious."

"He may have inhaled drug residue," Sam said. "Make sure to tell the medical personnel that."

Kensi, who had only been half-listening, now gave Sam her full attention. "Drugs?! How did that happen?"

"He cut open one of the bricks of drugs to help us against the thugs who were trying to kill us," Sam stated, his expression one of regret and resignation. He was totally prepared to accept Kensi's wrath about Deeks' situation, knowing full well the whole situation was his fault.

At that moment, the cabin door opened and the cabin immediately filled with various rescue personnel who set to work examining the men and preparing them for transport. Kensi stayed by Deeks' side as Nell went over to Eric, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly. She felt very lucky that Eric had been spared any kind of injury during this whole fiasco of a trip. She just hoped the other three men would also be fortunate and hopefully recover fully.

_Thanks for reading :)_


	16. Chapter 16

_Hi all, Jess here, thank you for reading, and sharing your thoughts with us. All your positive messages and encouragement mean a lot to both of us. We hope you continue to enjoy the story. Also, hoping everyone continues to stay safe and healthy._

xxxxx

"Hetty? It's Nell." Nell clutched Eric's hand tightly as she spoke into the cell phone. "Kensi and I found the boys."

"Is everyone okay?" Hetty asked.

Nell sighed nervously and looked up at Eric who gave her an encouraging smile. "Uh...no, not really. There's been some trouble. Callen, Sam and Deeks are all in the hospital. They're being examined now."

"How bad?" The nervousness in Hetty's voice was clear.

"We don't really know yet."

"I'm going to be on my way. Where are you?"

Nell gave Hetty their location and the name of the hospital they were at.

"Thank you, Miss Jones. I have a plane on standby. I should be there within a couple of hours. Please let me know if there are any further developments."

"I will, Hetty. It will be good to see you."

"I'll be there soon."

Nell clicked the phone off and leaned into Eric who wrapped her up tightly in his arms. "Hetty's coming?" Eric asked.

"Yes. I know how worried she must be. I'm worried too. I feel so bad for everyone...and for Kensi...she and Deeks just got married and now…" Nell trailed off.

"Hey now, don't be thinking the worst," Eric said as he gently rubbed Nell's back. Deeks is strong. They all are. I have a really good feeling they're going to be just fine."

"I hope you're right," Nell said. "I'm just so glad that you're okay. I don't know what I would have done if…"

"I'm fine, Nell." Eric kissed the top of Nell's head comfortingly. "They will be too."

xxxxx

Kensi nervously clasped and unclasped her hands as she waited for the doctor to finish examining Deeks behind the curtains in his ICU room. Her thoughts were all over the place and she was trying very hard not to focus on the negative ones. She had to think positively. She had to believe that Deeks would be okay and focus on doing everything in her power to help him through this latest roadblock in their lives. She met the doctor's eyes as the curtain opened and he left Deeks' bedside.

"Any change?" Kensi asked anxiously.

The doctor shook his head. "Patience is going to be key here. On the good side of things, there is no apparent damage from the fentanyl exposure. He has no burns on his skin and his breathing was not compromised. As far as his brain injury goes, that is more unpredictable. He could wake up today, two days or weeks from now. We also don't know what kind of effects he may have suffered as a result."

Kensi couldn't keep the stress out of her voice. "That...that doesn't sound very good at all," she said, on the verge of tears.

"I'm not trying to scare you," the doctor said kindly. "I'm just making you aware of what _**could **_happen. It doesn't mean it's going to. I just want you to be prepared."

Kensi nodded as she nibbled on her lip. This was so much more than what she had ever envisioned happening. Even after the whole nightmare in Mexico, Deeks hadn't been unconscious for too long. Multiple concussions were taking their toll on him now. She was beginning to think she needed to keep him home, encased in bubble wrap. "Okay."

"You take care of yourself and I mean that literally," the doctor said. "Eat and rest as best you can. He's going to need you strong and healthy when he wakes up."

Kensi nodded with a smile. She liked that he had said when Deeks woke up and not if. She knew there were no guarantees, but she needed to remain positive. She needed to believe her husband was going to get through this.

xxxxx

Sam laid in his hospital bed, his eyes on his partner who was asleep in the other bed. His own injury wasn't too bad and he would be released from the hospital in a day or two. He had no idea how Deeks was doing and Callen was basically a mess at the moment. The only good thing was that he was in a regular room and his condition was stable. On the negative side, he had a bad bruise on his back, broken ribs and a collapsed lung. They were observing him closely and hoping he didn't develop pneumonia.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Callen asked hoarsely, not appearing to be particularly happy.

"I um...sorry," Sam said as he fidgeted in his bed. "How are you feeling?"

Callen shrugged. "Alright, I guess."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Why did I even bother to ask?"

"Well, how are _**you **_feeling?" Callen challenged his partner with his eyes.

"As Deeks would say, touche," Sam said.

They were silent for a few long moments before Callen spoke. "How is Deeks?" he asked solemnly.

Sam shook his head. "I don't really know. Eric and Nell are supposed to update me when they get some word. I haven't heard anything yet."

"I hope he's okay…

"You and me both."

Callen nodded. "Some trip...If we ever decide on a career change, I don't think travel agency work is in our future."

"At least not in mine," Sam said glumly.

"Come on, Sam. I went along with it. How on earth could we have ever imagined what would have happened to us? These weren't ordinary circumstances. It's like there were some kind of crazy beings somewhere in the universe controlling everything."

"Yeah...I guess…" Sam said, looking unconvinced.

"A freak blizzard, Sam... Did you anticipate that?"

"Of course not."

"The house we were staying in collapsed," Callen said with a smirk, his eyes twinkling. "Did your crystal ball tell you that could possibly happen?"

"Well no," Sam said, grinning, but then his grin slowly faded, and he sighed. "I shot you, G."

"Are you trying to tell me you did that on purpose?" Callen asked. "Anyhow, that's the least of my problems at the moment."

"That's not really the point, though is it...I should have been more careful. I could have…" He shuddered, unable to even think of the fact that he could have killed his best friend if the bullet had taken a different path.

"It was an accident, Sam, and I'm going to be fine." Callen's eyes were sincere as he gazed back at Sam. "You need to forget about it."

"Not that easy…"

"Well then you can buy me a nice steak dinner when we get home," Callen said with a grin. "The place of my choosing, anywhere I want."

"I could do that," Sam agreed, his lips moving into a faint smile. "Anywhere you want."

"Anywhere I want…" Callen said musingly. "I haven't tried LA Prime yet. That might be a possibility."

"Wow, that's pretty high brow, G."

"You're not saying I'm a cheap date, are you?" Callen teased.

"No, no I'm not," Sam said, chuckling. "I said wherever you want, and I meant it. It's the least I can do for you."

Callen yawned, his eyes suddenly getting heavy. "I think I'm going to rest for a little while. Dream about what I'm going to eat at that fancy dinner you're treating me to."

"You do that, buddy," Sam said, looking fondly at his friend as Callen drifted off to sleep.

xxxxx

"I believe the doctor said to eat and rest, Ms. Blye." The soft voice coming from behind made Kensi jump, even when it shouldn't have been a surprise at all. "And I don't think he meant that about our Mr. Deeks. But, speaking of which, how's our boy doing?" Hetty finished with a kind smile, her hand coming to rest on Kensi's shoulder as the Ops Manager took in the sight before her.

Deeks' eyes were closed, but at least his face was a mask of calmness. No pain lines or any signs of distress. On the contrary, Kensi's face clearly displayed all the tension she was feeling on the inside. A rare display of emotion that only slipped out of the agent's carefully constructed walls when something shook her core and lowered her defenses.

"I'm okay, Hetty. I'm not really hungry." Kensi said instinctively, a well-rehearsed line from the many times any of them had been at the hospital. "Besides, Deeks needs me here, and there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Who said anything about leaving?" Hetty asked, as she raised her hand and shook the take-out bag she was holding, but still Kensi's attention was all focused on the man lying on the bed in front of them. Kensi's fingers caressed Deeks' golden locks and her other hand held his for dear life. "I brought takeout. A burger and fries, nice and easy does it." Hetty offered.

Slowly, Kensi took her hand from Deeks' hair, and turned towards Hetty. Her other hand however, staying right where she could stay in contact with her husband. "Thank you, Hetty, but ..."

"... I'm not really hungry. Yes, I know. But you still need to eat. How do you think Mr. Deeks will react when he wakes up and finds you on a hospital bed besides him because we allowed you to go hours without any food. Don't think Ms. Jones didn't tell me you barely touched your breakfast." Hetty finished in a calm tone, as if she was talking to a young child, and not a seasoned agent that wouldn't react well to an authoritative tone when her nerves were already on edge.

Kensi smiled, noticing that for the second time someone said 'when' and not 'if' and it filled her with new certainty that Deeks would in fact wake up.

"Thanks, Hetty." Kensi said, taking the takeout bag from her boss' hand, all the while hoping Hetty knew it was meant for a lot more than just the food. Even if Hetty had made questionable decisions in the past, that had ended with one or all of them in danger or injured, she was not to blame for this. And even on the times she had been to blame, deep down Kensi knew Hetty was usually in a difficult position. Right in between worrying about the fate of the world and national security, and caring for men and women she had practically helped raise and mature into the agents, liaisons, analysts and tech operators they were now. And she couldn't honestly believe at any point, Hetty had had the real intention of causing any of them harm.

But that thought also brought with it a new sense of anger. It burned from within as Kensi slowly realized that Hetty hadn't been to blame, but neither have any bad guys. Those previous times Deeks had been hurt, at least the good guys had won, and the world had remained a better place for at least a few more days. Before the next bad guy decided to start the cycle all over again. But this time, this injury, this new disaster, served no purpose. It didn't save civilians, it didn't punish the evil, it didn't stop a war. It just injured three good men, when they were just trying to have a good time. It had been just a freak accident and that made it all the more difficult to accept. That out there, somewhere, some unknown force had been conspiring against them, moving the pieces of the game with the only intention of hurting these men. Of hurting, her man.

"Kensi, eat." Hetty's soft voice drew Kensi away from her desperate thoughts. And Hetty's understanding smile said she had thought about it too. But in life, things some time just happened, without any real explanation or purpose and you just have to ride the wave the best way you could and hope to still be standing after the water recedes, or at least be willing to stand back up, if it knocks you down.

"Sorry." Kensi muttered with a sheepish, apologetic smile gracing her lips. One of the few sincere smiles in her last 24 hours.

Still with only one hand, Kensi managed to open the bag, take out the burger and fries and make quick work of her dinner. Her other hand, never leaving Deeks'. "Thanks, Hetty. It was really good."

"You're welcome, Ms. Blye. Now, I know you won't be leaving this place no matter what I say, but I already talk to the doctor and nurses on call. They have prepared a bathroom in a nearby room for you to shower, and in the meantime, they will move Mr. Deeks to a more private area and bring in a rolling bed for you to accompany him." Hetty explained, passing Kensi a go-bag she had personally prepared.

"Thank you, Hetty." Kensi said, sincerely surprised at the lengths Hetty was willing to go sometimes to help them all. If only that had always been her priority. But again, deep down Kensi understood Hetty had a lot more to worry about than any of them even understood.

"As I said, no one is asking you to leave. But if you would like to visit your other teammates after taking that shower, I'll be more than happy to keep our boy company. He's in good hands with me," Hetty offered tentatively.

Kensi did want to make sure her other teammates were okay, but she was also sure that if anything had gone wrong, she would have already been informed. And she didn't feel quite ready to see Sam yet. Her worry didn't allow her to see 'deep down' yet and the outermost part of her mind and heart still felt some apprehension at facing the man who had the camping idea in the first place. She didn't want to blame Sam, but human beings had the unfortunate need to blame someone when things didn't turn out the way they wanted. And Sam was just the easiest scapegoat now.

"Thanks, Hetty. But I don't want to leave Deeks alone for any longer than necessary. I know he's safe with you, but I need him to know I didn't leave him." _Again_. Kensi knew in Mexico she had all but made up for her actions during the Sidorov mission, but every time Deeks was hurt all those memories resurfaced and she felt the raw, all too-familiar pain all over again, as if the Deeks lying on a bed in front of her was the one just hurt by Sidorov, and not one injured some other way.

"Are you angry with Sam, Ms. Blye?" Hetty inquired. She knew it was probably true that Kensi didn't want to leave Deeks, but she had seen the wheels turning on her agent, and she sensed there was more to it than Kensi was letting on.

"I'm not, Hetty. I know this wasn't his fault. He's not to blame." Kensi tried to explain. But Hetty's face told her she had said too much and maybe shouldn't have used the words 'fault' or 'blame' as they evidently gave some of her feelings away.

Seeing Hetty's lips part and words beginning to form, Kensi felt the room beginning to shrink around her. Needing an escape, she took in a long breath, before finally releasing Deeks' hand, breaking their connection. "Thanks, Hetty. I'll go take that shower now." Grabbing her go-bag, Kensi made a quick exit out of the room, even when she didn't even know where she was supposed to be going for that shower. But she was sure any nurse could point her in the right direction.

Sighting sadly, Hetty could do nothing but silently stare at the retreating form of her agent. "I sure hope you don't blame Sam too." She spoke instead, words directed to the man on the bed, and not his recently departed wife. "Maybe his plan didn't turn out the way he wanted, but I sincerely believe he had the best intentions."

Remembering the forgotten tension between her two most different team members, Hetty hoped this setback wouldn't throw her team back to how things were during those first years after the LAPD detective joined her team.

xxxxx

Not even 10 full minutes after she had left, Kensi was back at Deeks' side. In the same small ICU space, since she hadn't given any time to the hospital staff to move Deeks to a new area.

Hetty briefly considered proposing again that Kensi visit her other teammates, but not wanting to add to her agent's distress, she decided against it. Instead saying her goodbyes and promising to be back in the morning. Then stopping at the nurses' station to make sure Deeks would still be moved to a bigger area where they could accommodate a rolling bed, before going to visit her other team members herself.

Stopping at Sam and Callen's room, she was not surprised to find her other boy sleeping. But she was even less surprised to find Sam intently staring at his partner, a look of equal parts concern and guilt plastered on his face.

"Hello, Sam. I'm glad to see you." Hetty said as a way of greeting.

"Hetty... hmm, hi. I didn't know you were here." Sam said quickly, scratching his throat as he worked hard to school his features and hide all his previously openly displayed emotions behind his familiar mask of calmness. But no matter how much he tried, the guilt was still there.

"Ms. Jones called me on the way here. I had my own plane on standby, so it was a quick trip. How are you feeling, Sam?" Hetty explained quickly, wanting to judge Sam's emotional well-being more than his physical one as Nell had already informed her his injuries were minor.

"I'm okay, Hetty. Will be out of here in no time. It's Callen and Deeks we should worry about."

And there it was, the reason why her team's emotional state was her most prominent concern. When injuries happen due to a bad guy, it's easy for her team to come together against a common enemy. But when they happen after one of their civilian ideas goes wrong, the law enforcement brotherhood can get blurred and fingers start to be pointed in all the wrong directions. Including to oneself, when one holds an unwarranted blame that shouldn't be placed on anyone but destiny.

"I worry about all of you. But how is Mr. Callen doing?"

Sam's response was word by word what the doctor had told him during his last visit. Showing Hetty, her senior agent had probably been mentally repeating those lines for the past few hours. Trying to remind himself that Callen was in fact doing as well as can be expected and still expected to make a full recovery.

"And how's Deeks doing? Nell and Eric were supposed to come update me, but they never showed up." Sam finished after giving his boss a brief recount of Callen's condition.

Hetty raised her eyebrows at those news. She had been told Eric hadn't been injured, even after a close call. But it was unlike her analyst and tech operator to just disappear and fail to honor a promise. And after everything that just happened, she couldn't help but worry.

"Is everything okay? Did his condition worsen?" Sam asked hesitantly, having picked up Hetty's apprehension.

"No, no, Mr. Hanna. Mr. Deeks is okay, and his condition remains stable. No injuries caused by his stunt with the drugs. And the brain injury hasn't shown any bleeding, so even though he's asleep, the doctor is hopeful." Hetty summarized what Kensi told her, kicking herself from letting her worry about Eric and Nell show. But at least she had the presence of mind to say _asleep_ and not _unconscious._

"That stunt saved us all, you know." Sam said sadly, thinking how even injured with another concussion, Deeks had again risked his life to save them.

"I know, Sam. I didn't mean it in any negative way. But when Nell told me, it sounded like the kind of 'fly by the seat of your pants' stunt that Deeks so often pulls while undercover." Hetty said with a fond smile, remembering how that attitude was one of the first things that caught her attention about the young detective. It was so unlike her methodical team and just what they needed.

"And how's Kensi?" Sam asked next. Completely ignoring Hetty's attempt at some levity.

"What's that, Sam? Kensi's perfectly fine. She wasn't injured, right?"

"She hasn't come to visit..." Sam sighed sadly. Even before they went all-in, Sam was used to Kensi spending most of her time with Deeks during shared hospital stays, like post-Mexico, but before, she always found the time to also visit her other teammates. And Sam said as much when Hetty innocently tried to explain that Kensi was just with her partner like Sam was with his.

"She's angry, right?" _She blames me_. But that part remained unsaid.

"I wouldn't say angry, Sam. I think she's just worried and needs some time to get her thoughts together." Hetty wasn't really sure what Kensi or any of them were thinking, she needed Eric and Nell to fill in more of the details of the trip and rescue before she could make an accurate assessment and decide how best to help her team.

"If you say so." Sam said, unconvinced. Because how could Kensi not blame him, when he couldn't stop blaming himself.

"Everything will be okay, Mr. Hanna. Sometimes time is all that's needed to heal some wounds. Physical and otherwise." Hetty just hoped her words were the truth, a sort of promise, and not the empty words of a woman that was just too tired to argue the contrary, and too broken to continue trying to prove the universe wrong. Years in this business sure took a toll on a person, even when at one point she had truly been the master of the universe.

Sam just nodded, his eyes going back to stare at his partner. Remembering his words from before he fell asleep, and how Callen seemingly truly didn't blame him. So, hopefully, Kensi and Deeks would share that sentiment. And, hopefully, in due time, he wouldn't blame himself either.

Hetty stayed with Sam and Callen for another half hour, chatting with Sam about anything but the camping trip, while both of them continued to look over Callen out of the corner of their eyes.

xxxxx

After leaving Sam and Callen's room, Hetty went in search of her two unaccounted team members. Her worry easing as soon as she stepped into the waiting room, finding Eric and Nell hunched over together on two chairs in the back of the room, both fast asleep.

Silently walking towards them, Hetty looked Eric and Nell over, wanting to make sure for herself that both of them were really okay and uninjured.

For a second Hetty then thought about waking them up and insisting they go home, but quickly decided against it. Just as time, proximity is sometimes all that was needed, and her team was better together, even if they were technically in three different locations of the same hospital. For a brief moment, she also considered taking up a seat and staying with them, but uncomfortable, hospital chairs were getting to be too much for an old(ish) lady, so instead she turned to leave, for the third time that night promising to be back in the morning.

As Hetty was about to walk back towards the elevators, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye and she kneeled to grab the discarded tablet, which must have slipped from Eric's lap. And in that brief second, all the pieces fell back into place, and the world began making sense again. Her boys' smiles as they made crazy faces to the camera and the beautiful snowed-in background at their backs, a perfect picture of calm and brotherhood and the only promise Hetty needed to know everything would be alright.

After making quick work of sending the pictures to her email, Hetty smiled to herself, in a brief moment of clarity, remembering that when all is said and done, and when all the sadness and loss is stripped away, only our relationships remain. And in that sense, her team would always be more than okay. At least for as long as they still had each other. Together they could get over any blame, guilt, pain, sadness, or any other emotion they might be feeling. Her team was a big, happy family, and THAT'S really all that was needed.


	17. Chapter 17

_As always, your comments and dedication to reading our story means so much. Can't tell you how much we appreciate it. We both hope that all of you and your families are staying safe and well during these difficult times. Thanks so much for reading._

xxxxx

As promised, bright and early the following morning, Hetty was back at the hospital, making her rounds. First, going to check on Mr. Deeks as his situation seemed to be the most delicate at the time, but smiling to herself when she found the detective and his wife cramped together on the same bed. The rolling one the hospital staff had brought was empty at their side.

Somehow Kensi had managed to climb into the small hospital bed with her partner, and even more surprising is how she was able to sleep hugging the man without disturbing any of the many wires or tubes attached to him. To Hetty's sadness, she realized Kensi and Deeks both, most likely had ample experience in sharing hospital beds, something she really wished wasn't the case.

Quietly exiting the room, Hetty thought that maybe she should track down Mr. Deeks' doctor, and prepare him for the sight, given medical professionals didn't like their rooms to be broken into and their healing patients disturbed. But if the smile that graced Deeks' lips was any indication, the proximity to Kensi was doing much more healing than any medicine could. And with that thought in mind, Hetty closed the door and walked down the hall, towards the nurse's station. She was confident soon, Mr. Deeks would wake and her team could begin to heal as one.

xxxxx

After talking to Mr. Deeks' doctor and being assured, more than once, that he was still doing as well as can be expected, Hetty took the elevator down, intent on tracking the rest of her boys.

Reaching Callen and Sam's room, Hetty took a moment to school her features. She was worried because her detective hadn't still regained consciousness, but his doctor had said it could take some time, and the only worrisome thing right down would be any kind of setback, and luckily they hadn't had any of those. Mr. Deeks' body and mind, apparently, just needed some time.

Opening the door, Hetty was surprised to find Sam's bed empty and her boy wide awake on the other bed in the room. "Mr. Callen, it's so good to see you awake. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Hetty." Callen said simply, a smile showing how happy he was to see her. "I'm doing okay. Just hoping to be released soon."

"Now, now Mr. Callen, your partner told me about the ordeal you went through... and the chance of still developing pneumonia..."

"Slight chance." Callen corrected, successfully cutting Hetty's reproach short.

"A chance is still a chance. For now, the better place for you is here. At least until you finish all your rounds of antibiotics and the doctors can be certain your condition won't worsen." Hetty finished, as if no interruption had even occurred.

"I see Sam told you everything. The big guy can't keep anything to himself." Callen pouted, at that moment looking like the little boy Hetty had practically adopted, and not the fine federal agent he had become.

"Your partner worries about you, Mr. Callen. Among many losses in his life, what happened to Michelle... and his son and daughter leaving for school, you remain one of the few constants in his life and he can't afford to lose you. None of us can."

"I know, Hetty. I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry, just do as your doctors say. But speaking of which, where is Mr. Hanna?" Hetty questioned, surprised to find Callen was alone in their room.

"Doctor took him for some final tests before they release him. He should be good to go in a couple of hours. As far as I know, he just needs to wear crutches to avoid putting too much weight on his leg, but he should be all fixed up in no more than three weeks. Which, knowing the big guy, will be more like one and a half." Callen finished his explanation with a chuckle.

"I will make sure he stays off his leg for the required time. And that for once you all do as your doctors say." Hetty gently admonished, remembering how Sam's stubbornness during the Mexico mission made a simple injury a lot worse than it needed to be.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Callen shrugged, trying to look like a little angel, but the smirk on his face betrayed his intentions as he very well knew what Hetty was talking about.

"I'm sure you don't, Mr. Callen." Hetty softly padded Callen's leg, needing a physical reminder that her boy was really okay. "Now, how's your partner doing?"

Callen raised a brow, wondering if Hetty was suddenly forgetting things because he had just explained Sam would be as good as new in just a few weeks.

"And I'm not talking about his physical well-being." Hetty added almost as an afterthought.

_Ah-ha, and that was a way more complicated manner_, Callen thought, remembering their conversation the previous day. "He's doing okay... I think. Still having some trouble letting go of some unfounded guilt."

"I see." Hetty said simply, thinking she hadn't made as much progress as she thought with her words the previous night.

"I think he'll feel a lot better once Deeks is out of danger." Callen added. "Which reminds me, enough talk about us. How's he doing?"

"As well as can be expected." Hetty said gently, relaying the doctor's explanation, making sure to also share his confidence that their detective would in fact wake up. She wished she could say Deeks was finally awake, but that was the best she could offer at the time, and hopefully soon, she would be able to share that desired update.

"So, nothing has changed." Callen said dejectedly, also having hoped for better news.

"And that is good news." Hetty reminded, having practically read Callen's mind. "A setback would be more worrisome now, and he's holding strong and still stable. He also has some good meds working its magic." Hetty finished with a conspiratorial smile.

Seeing Callen's confusion, she moved forward and showed him a picture she had taken minutes ago before leaving their room.

"They really make a good couple." Callen mused. "Who would have thought that when Deeks first joined the team."

"A lot has changed since that time. But you have to agree, there was always a spark between those two. I'm just glad they acted on it." Hetty admitted, happy their agent and detective had defied the odds, managing to find each other in a career that usually took more people than it added to one's life.

"I just hope we don't go back to that time." Callen whispered, betraying his own worry about Sam and Deeks.

"So, you're worried, too." Hetty nodded to herself.

"Yeah, maybe a little. Deeks didn't seem to blame him when we were still in the mountains, but that was also before he had been diagnosed with another TBI." Callen wondered out loud.

"If there's one thing I know about Mr. Deeks is that he's not really a resentful or vengeful man. At least not against those that mean his family and friends no harm. And we all know Sam didn't intend for anyone to get hurt." Hetty explained, for her's and Callen's benefit.

"Yeah... he also chose to save us after Sam had safely left him hidden." Callen said, choosing the time to continue filling Hetty in what had happened at the cabin when Eric left. "And no one knows, but Sam was trying to make this a good trip for everyone. Maybe he shouldn't have insisted we go camping when it was obvious Eric and Deeks didn't love the idea. But it was fun... before everything happened. And I think they enjoyed it too."

"I'm sure they did, Mr. Callen." Hetty agreed, remembering the pictures she had seen on Eric's tablet.

"And the final plan would have been even better." Callen finished sadly, paying no attention to Hetty's comment at all.

"Care to share?" Hetty inquired, her interest piqued, especially if this proved to be an ideal she could use to bring her team back together.

"Sam had booked us a weekend at Reno. To go to the casinos. He would have chosen Vegas but..."

"Mr. Beale is banned in Vegas." Hetty finished knowingly, an idea already forming on her mind.

"Yeah." Callen finished softly, hoping this disaster hadn't happened and they could have seen Sam's plan to the end.

"We can share that with Eric and Deeks in due time. I'm sure they'll appreciate the intentions." Hetty offered, not wanting to reveal her own plan.

"Thanks, Hetty."

And neither Callen or Hetty knew exactly what he was thankful for. Maybe it was the confidence in her voice when she said they would tell Deeks in due time and her certainly that he wouldn't harbor any ill feelings towards Sam. Maybe it was just for coming to visit and help take his mind off things. Or maybe it simply was for everything she had ever done for him... for them. Nonetheless, Hetty smiled and patted Callen's leg one more time, before again promising to be back later and exiting the room.

Now she needed to find her Wonder Twins, so she could learn the final piece of the puzzle of what had happened when Eric left the cabin and when he returned with Nell and Kensi. So then Hetty could finish plotting her makeup plan.

xxxxx

He felt like he was coming out of a dense fog, or trying to fight his way up through something heavy that was holding him down, keeping his head full of some heavy, unknown substance. His facial features contorted and he groaned so softly it was barely perceptible. Many wouldn't have even noticed, the changes were so small, but Kensi noticed. "Deeks? Honey, can you hear me?"

"Mmmm…"

"Deeks? Come on baby, if you can hear me, can you try to open those beautiful baby blues for me? Please…"

"Bears…"

"Honey, it's me, Kensi, your wife. Can you open your eyes for me, please?" She was beginning to feel a little bit desperate as she stared at him pleadingly. "Deeks?"

"Kens?"

"Yes, yes, baby. It's me," Kensi said excitedly, her eyes lighting up with joy as she pressed the call button for the nurse. "Can you open your eyes for me? Please?"

Wanting to do whatever he could to make her happy, Deeks opened his eyes slightly but then squeezed them shut again. "Bright," he murmured.

"I'm sorry," Kensi said. She quickly dimmed the light in the room with the remote control on the bed. "It's better now, sweetheart. Can you try again, please?"

"Kens…" Deeks managed to open his eyes and looked at her in confusion. "Kensi? Where are we? He groaned again, his face filled with pain. "My head hurts…"

"I know it does, sweetie. The doctor will be here soon."

"Doctor? Am I in the hospital?"

"Yes, you're in the hospital, but you're going to be just fine," Kensi assured him. "I'm just so happy you're awake."

"Are we in Mexico?"

"Mexico?" Kensi asked worriedly. "No, we're in California. You were camping, remember? With Sam, Callen and Eric."

"Camping? I don't like camping. Boy scouts do though."

Kensi's eyes immediately filled with guilt. She wished she had never pressed him to go on this godforsaken camping trip. There were so many other things they could have done, fun things. Deeks would have liked surfing. Why didn't they take him surfing someplace? Why did it have to be camping? Camping was Sam's thing. He should have thought of Deeks first. "I know you don't...don't worry, you're never going to have to go camping again."

"Who went camping?" he asked, struggling to keep his eyes open but failing and allowing them to close. "Did they have a tent?"

Just then, the doctor came into the room and proceeded to perform a thorough examination as Kensi watched anxiously. "Well, he's definitely doing better," the doctor said, smiling at Kensi after he finished.

"He's really confused," Kensi explained. "His memory seems really off right now. I don't think he remembers what happened."\

"That's not unusual," the doctor said. "He's still very groggy and in a fair amount of pain. I'm going to order something for that. Brain injuries are tricky. You never really know exactly what to expect."

"Meaning?" Kensi asked.

"Meaning it's possible he may never regain all of his short-term memory or it may just take some time. We'll do some more neurological tests when he's more aware of what's going on. It may just be that he still just needs more rest and time for his brain to recover. We'll make sure he gets the best of care. I won't tell you not to worry because I know you will, but just know that things are definitely improving. He's a strong young man and I'm very much encouraged by his progress."

Kensi nodded, watching as the doctor left the room. She then got back up on the bed next to Deeks and took his hand, just watching him sleep. She was happy he had awoken, but she wanted more. She wanted to talk to him about everything that had happened, get a first-hand account from his lips. She wanted to take him home and forget about all of it. She just wanted to take care of him, coddle him and have him get well again.

xxxxx

Outside the entrance to Deeks' room, Sam sat in a wheelchair, watching as Kensi laid down next to Deeks. He wanted to go in there and apologize, but he just couldn't seem to do it. He had a feeling it would only serve to make things worse. He at least needed to wait until Deeks was awake and able to process what Sam told him. If he went in there right now, he had a feeling he would only upset Kensi and that was the last thing he wanted to do. His mind made up, he turned around and began to wheel himself back down the hallway.

A few minutes later, Sam entered the room he was sharing with his partner. Callen was idly flicking through the television channels with the remote control, a sure sign that he was bored.

"Where were you?" Callen asked. "It seems like every time I wake up, you're nowhere to be found."

"Maybe you're sleeping too much," Sam joked, but then grew serious. "I was checking on Deeks."

"Yeah? How is he? Is he doing better?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know…"

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Callen asked, looking both worried and confused. "Were they running tests or something?"

"No," Sam answered softly.

"Okaaay… So, you didn't want to wake him? Was Kensi there?"

Sam nodded.

"Come on, Sam, talk to me," Callen pleaded. "What's going on with you?"

Sam glared at his partner. "What do you mean, what's going on? I never took you as stupid, G."

Momentarily hurt, Callen opened his mouth to retort, but then thought better of it and just waited, knowing that Sam was carrying a heavy load at the moment.

Sam sighed after a few long moments of silence. "I'm sorry, G."

"I know," Callen said with a sympathetic nod.

"It's just… I'm kicking myself over this stupid trip. Why did we decide to do it?"

"Come on, Sam. You need to stop," Callen said. "We've already talked about everything that happened. You can't control the weather. If it wasn't for the storm, everything would have worked out okay."

"What about the drug guys."

"We probably wouldn't have even run into them," Callen said. "We would have been safe in our own cabin. It wouldn't have snowed and the roof wouldn't have caved in."

"What about the bears?"

Callen sighed. "Shit happens, Sam. Sometimes, no matter how well planned or how much thought you put into something, it doesn't turn out the way you expected. We could have taken Deeks on a trip to Hawaii and the plane could have crashed."

Sam smirked. "That's a stretch, G. What are the chances of that? We were already in a helicopter crash."

"I'm just saying Sam, you just don't know what's going to happen in the world. One day everything is fine, the next day there could be, Hell, I don't know... a pandemic!"

Sam rolled his eyes but nodded. "Okay, I get it. Stuff can happen that you have no way of planning for or expecting, but I still feel bad about everything that happened."

"I know you do, Sam," Callen said solemnly, "but you need to just give yourself a break. I know Deeks and you do too. He's not going to hold a grudge. Now, come on, let's play a game of cards or something. I'm bored out of my mind in this place."

Sam nodded and went to get the deck of cards a kind-hearted nurse had brought them earlier that day. He still didn't feel any better, but at least maybe beating G at cards could prove to be a temporary distraction.

xxxxx

The next time Deeks woke up, Kensi was ready with the room already dark and no sounds but the monitors that signaled his heart was still beating. With no bright lights or disorienting noises, Deeks had an easier time slipping back to consciousness. "Kens?" His soft voice doubtfully inquired, vaguely remembering she had been there the last time he woke up but not sure if it was another trick of his mind as it had been back in the cabin.

"Deeks, baby. I'm here." Throwing her crossword to the side, Kensi instantly jumped from the chair and moved to the bed. Grabbing one of Deeks' hands, she squeezed tightly and was rewarded with a soft squeeze back, her whole face breaking into a grin at the simple response. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

"I'm doing okay. I just need you." Deeks said softly, his free hand moving to pat the empty space on the bed. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, baby. I'm so glad you're okay." Pulling their joined hands towards her heart, Kensi's eyes focused on the matching rings on their fingers and at that moment she felt infinitely grateful because her now husband had cheated death once again. Sometimes, alone at night, she worried about their luck running out and the hands of destiny catching up to them, but they had won this time and that's the only thing she wanted to think about. Especially when Deeks seemed to be doing surprisingly well this time and his mind apparently was back in the present, unlike the first time he had woken up.

"Come." Deeks' soft voice brought her mind back to the room, his still weak muscles straining as he tried pulling her towards him.

"Just a second, let me get your doctor first." Releasing his hand, Kensi turned around and headed to the door. Wanting to have a quick chat with his doctor before he saw Deeks.

"No, wait." Deeks called hurriedly just as Kensi's hand had grabbed the doorknob. "It's not safe out there."

That comment stopped Kensi right in her tracks and she turned around hesitantly, scared to find out Deeks not doing as well as she had first thought. "Why do you say that?" Kensi asked carefully, as if she was talking to a frightened child.

"There are bears out there." Deeks whispered sadly. "They hurt me, and they hurt Callen. I don't want them to hurt you."

"Oh, baby…" Kensi quickly went back to the bed and leaned down to hug Deeks, mindful of his various bumps and bruises. "No one is going to hurt me… or you. We're in the hospital, remember? There are no bears here. There's no danger. You're safe. We're all safe."

"No bears? So did I imagine them? It felt so real." Deeks wondered mostly to himself. "But then why am I in the hospital?"

Remembering the doctor had advised it was better if memories came back to Deeks on their own, Kensi struggled with how to answer. "You were hurt, but you're safe now." She chose the vague but truthful route.

"Is Callen safe?" Deeks' child-like voice asked again. "I haven't seen him. Or Sam. I remember they were with the bear too… but if there's no bear, maybe there was no Callen or Sam either..."

"Yes, Deeks. They're both okay. They're here too. Just in another room." Kensi gently cut Deeks' remark, not wanting his worry and confusion to grow even more. "Do you remember when you woke up last and a doctor came to see you?"

Deeks scrunched his nose as he tried to remember. "Yeah, maybe… a little bit." He finally said. "Details are a little blurry."

"That's okay, baby. Everything will make sense soon. Just know that you're okay and we're all safe." Deciding this was not a good time to leave Deeks' alone, Kensi pressed the nurse's call button instead.

To her relief, Deeks' doctor and two nurses arrived to his room in less than 5 minutes and promptly proceeded to do another thorough examination. This time, asking him various questions to judge where his mind was at. All of them trying not to chuckle as Deeks wondered if the doctor's coat meant he was the one that produced the fentanyl.

"That's it for now, Mr. Deeks." The doctor began, this time directing his words to his patient as he was still awake this time. "I'm confident in due time most of what happened will come back to you. Just know that it's not uncommon for the events right before an injury of this type to always remain a little vague, or blurry, as you called it. That's normal and no reason to worry about. For now, just focus on resting. That's what your body and mind need. Tomorrow we will run some additional tests but I'm confident you will make a full recovery."

"Thank you, doc." Deeks said simply, his face still showing some slight embarrassment as his initial confusion and having mistaken his doctor for a drug dealer.

The doctor nodded with a smile before leaving the room, Kensi's eyes following the three medical personnel until the door softly closed behind them.

Turning back to Deeks, she was dejected to find him back asleep. But then again the doctor kept insisting rest was all he needed, so pushing her own interests to the side, Kensi pulled a chair towards the bed and sat down. Her hand moving to Deeks' blonde locks in her own little attempt to make sure he had peaceful dreams. After talking to her and the doctor, Deeks had finally remembered where he was, his mind catching up to the fact the narco cereal and big, bad bears were real, but both in the past. Which didn't mean they couldn't make a reappearance on his dreams as both Kensi and Deeks knew he was unfortunately prone to nightmares. But Kensi was certain she could help him keep those bad memories away and his demons at bay, so she continued to run her fingers through his hair, wanting to anchor his mind to the present and to the fact they were all safe.

xxxxx

"What do you mean they were arrested!?" Angelo Marino, a stocky, middle-aged man shouted into the phone. "The drugs are gone? Do you know how much money that stuff was worth? Damn you, Harvey. You swore that these guys were dependable. That they knew what they were doing. Now, I'm out a whole bunch of money because of this deal falling through."

"I'm really sorry, boss," the voice over the phone stuttered. "I just… I've known them for a long time. They've never messed up before. It was just a bunch of freak occurrences. If it wasn't for the snow storm, it never would have happened."

"I don't want your excuses. I want names and faces of the people responsible for this. They ruined my day. Now I'm going to make sure we ruin theirs."

xxxxx

Kensi sat quietly as she watched Deeks sleep. She was so grateful that he had awoken twice and each time seemed to be doing better. She knew he had a way to go, but just seeing his eyes open and hearing his voice had made a world of difference to her, especially the second time around, when his thoughts had been clearer and his words more coherent. As she watched him, she started to think about everything that had happened. Although there was a part of her that was still angry with Sam, in her heart, she knew he was not to blame for what had happened. He had only been trying to do a good thing for Deeks and for the guys to have a fun bonding experience. What would have been the odds of a snowstorm happening? Basically, nature was at fault, not Sam.

"I know what you would be saying to me right now." Kensi's voice was soft as she spoke to Deeks and gently brushed his hair away from his forehead with her fingers. "You'd probably be disappointed that I haven't even gone to see Callen and Sam. I'm pretty sure I know what you'd want me to do." Kensi then leaned down and kissed Deeks' cheek and gave him one more loving look before she headed to the door. "I'll be back before you know it."

Taking a last longing look at the bed, Kensi took a decisive breath before finally leaving the room and taking the elevator down to the regular patient rooms, ready to start making things right on her end.

xxxxx

Callen coughed into the crock of his elbow and stared at the cards he was holding. The shapes and numbers blurred and he finally put them down on the tray. "I'm sorry, Sam. I don't think I can play anymore."

"You okay?" Sam asked, looking at his friend with concern. Callen's cheeks were starting to look a bit red and he suddenly wasn't looking so hot. "You're beginning to look a little flushed."

Callen nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, Sam."

"You don't look so fine," Sam said. "I think we should call a nurse."

Callen shook his head. "I don't think so."

"You should listen to your friend," Angelo Marino said as he came into the room, flanked by two other men who appeared to be his henchmen. The three men drew their guns and one of them went to close the door. "I don't think we need any nurses in here, unless you want their scrubs splattered with their blood." The other two men guffawed loudly at his words. "Now, I heard a nasty rumor that the two of you were involved in losing my property. That doesn't make me feel very happy."

"Oh, are you the owner of the cabin we rented?" Callen asked. "I'm pretty sure the insurance company will take care of the damage to your place."

"Don't be a smart ass," Angelo snapped, a menacing expression on his face. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Actually, I don't," Callen said, glancing at his partner. "Sam? Do you know what he's talking about?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't have any idea. Care to elaborate?" he asked, looking at Angelo as he pondered what was the best way for them to escape their current situation.

"The drugs, you smug son of a bitch. Do you know how much money you lost for me?!"

"Well, it was definitely a lot," Sam said with a smirk. "You probably should have found a more legitimate way to make money."

"You think you're funny, big man?" Angelo asked, his face beet-red with rage. "Let's see how funny you think it is when I blow your buddy's head off." He pressed his gun against the side of Callen's head and started laughing maniacally. "Say goodbye to your friend."

Just then, before Angelo had the time to pull the trigger, the door opened with a bang and a fourth burly man came barreling into the room, "Someone's coming." He whispered, almost out of breath.

"Damn it!" Angelo screamed, his rage exploding as he kicked the chair next to Callen's bed, almost toppling it over. "Who the hell is coming? You said rounds wouldn't happen for another hour." He asked, turning a murderous glare to one of his henchmen. "Useless, son of a bitch! Your friends already lost my drugs, so help me God if you fuck this up too." Without warning, he turned around and swung the barrel of his 9mm handgun right into his man's temple. Droplets of blood spilling to the ground as the skin split on impact.

"It's not a nurse or doctor, just another lady." The new man responded warily, trying to save his friend from another attack but not wanting to become the new target of his boss' rage. "Maybe a girlfriend or a sister, but she should be here any minute."

Turning to the door, Angelo knew it was too late to escape that way, so instead he pushed his three men towards the adjacent bathroom. "Don't say anything, don't call for help. I'm not playing games and I didn't get to where I am by being a bad shot. If you so much as mutter a single warning, I'll blow your head off." He said directly to Callen. "And you will have to worry about your buddy looking more than just flushed." He finished, eyes locked on Sam's.

Callen and Sam could only nod as Angelo rushed inside the bathroom, leaving the door purposely open wide enough for them to see three guns pointed right at Callen. And if their situation hadn't been so dire they would have laughed, cause this was the very definition of overkill.


End file.
